


convalescence

by bukkunkun



Series: secondary typing [5]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different Powers, Animal Death, Anime/Video Game Fusion, Euthanasia, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Headcanon, Heavy Angst, Introspection, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Minor Originshipping, Moving On, Non-Linear Narrative, Older Characters, Past Perfectworldshipping, Recovery, Science, Science Experiments, Worldbuilding, it's going to Hurt everybody, no like for real there's a WHOLE ASS PAPER in chapter two, that means alain and meyer exist but calem does not lmao, what do you mean there's no tag for ossan love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:09:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 22,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28151412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bukkunkun/pseuds/bukkunkun
Summary: The mechanism of Mega Evolution, as elucidated by the Sycamore Research Laboratory during the Legendary Lockdown.Professor Augustine Sycamore, the Legendary Lockdown of Kalos, and the agony of recovery.
Relationships: Alan | Alain & Platane-hakase | Professor Augustine Sycamore, Fleur-de-lis | Lysandre/Platane-hakase | Professor Augustine Sycamore, Limone | Meyer/Platane-hakase | Professor Augustine Sycamore, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: secondary typing [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1619305
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	1. convalescence

**Author's Note:**

> "yo wtf do you mean meyer and alain exist but calem doesn't this is male mc erasure" 
> 
> OK HEAR ME OUT i really REALLY liked how the anime handled zygarde (as opposed to how the game handled zygarde LMAO) and i REALLY wanted that in the secondary typeverse.... in this universe, the anime AND the game is both canon, but just the bits in both that i like a lot. ash does not exist in this continuity, and his role is taken by serena, who doesn't get into sparkly coordinator competitions until after she ends diantha's competitive career. for clarity's sake, the game's plot occurs, and during the final parade in the game, the zygarde anime plot happens. lysandre, however, does not appear during the zygarde crisis. 
> 
> alain is alain sycamore, adoptive son of augustine (because let's face it the thought is adorable have you seen their reunion in the anime i got big emo seeing augustine cuddling the charizard) ever since he was like???? 10 or something. his time with lysandre changed him deeply and now he treasures his bond with augustine more, he's started calling him "dad" too, aw...
> 
> THE BIGGEST THING HERE IS MEYER LIKE UH. listen mans has a mega blaziken and he's Built Different he's absolutely an immigrant from hoenn, where they're Built Different(TM). meyer's a hoenn man. you can't take this from me
> 
> anyway! in chapter 2, as promised, is the whole ass paper sonia was reading all the way back in [secondary typing](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22068571). it's not necessary at all, i just decided to put that there, because i'm an extra bastard that doesn't know when to quit, apparently.
> 
> **FINAL WARNINGS, IN CASE PEOPLE MISSED IT:** this is _PAST PERFECTWORLDSHIPPING_. sorry my guy lysandre dropped a whole ass building on himself, and augustine isn't marring a mans like that. also, there WILL be pokemon death and bodily harm in this fic. the gyarados will be euthanised ethically, and a milotic will get physically harmed (but she'll be okay). please take care. there will also be mention of needles, drawing of blood and other similar procedures, which are common in biological studies.

**INTRODUCTION**

_Mega Evolution is a process wherein a fully-evolved Pokémon, under a certain powerful stimulus known as Mega Energy, is able to take an additional, reversible step forward in its metamorphosis._

* * *

Augustine Sycamore, people would say, was a very, very hardworking man. As the leading Pokémon Professor of Kalos, he had the very important duty of helping new Trainers set out on their first journeys in the world. Aside from that, he was at the forefront of Pokémon research, as Principal Investigator of multiple projects that all focused on the phenomenon known as Mega Evolution.

As of late, the list of Mega Evolving Pokémon seemed to ever-increase with the boom in Pokémon studies over the years, and Augustine was beginning to feel the strain of it. 

“Professor? You haven’t been out of the office yet.” 

Augustine lifted his head from where he was hunched over in his seat to see Sophie—his head research assistant—peering into the room, smiling at him fondly. He gave her a tired little grin, sitting up slowly with a wince, and Sophie sighed, stepping into the room. 

“Sorry, I guess I must’ve—” Augustine was cut in the middle of his sentence with a yawn, and Sophie’s expression fell. “ _Phew._ Lost track of time. What time is it, anyway?”

“It’s nearly time for everyone to head home.” She said, and Augustine blinked at her. “The postgrads were wondering why you haven’t been around to check on them, so I went looking for you.”

“Oh, no.” Augustine shot to his feet, but he teetered slightly. Sophie jumped, rushing to help him stay upright, and Augustine laughed weakly, shaking his head as he straightened up. “Sorry, sorry.” He apologised, and Sophie shook her head. “Right, I’m heading over.” Sophie huffed, and looked down at his laptop. “Uh, _after_ I charge my laptop.” 

“I’ve got it.” Sophie huffed, and Augustine gave her a sheepish grin. 

“Thanks.” He said, patting her shoulder before he rushed out the door.

* * *

Clemont found himself in the Sycamore Pokémon Lab more frequently these days. Ever since Serena— _Champion_ Serena, he reminded himself with no small amount of awe—saved Kalos, they were on Legendary Lockdown for a year. His own Prism Tower was under renovation after the entire fiasco with Zygarde, and Bonnie was already going to school. Without anywhere else to go, Sycamore let Clemont spend his days in his lab while Lumiose City—and the rest of Kalos, for that matter—began to heal.

He was at his own designated computer terminal when he heard the good Professor come in, and he smiled to himself slightly when he heard the post grads flock to the man, all eager to get work done. He wondered quietly to himself what could have taken the man so long, but he stayed quiet, content to listen to the goings-on around him while the rest of the lab kept the Professor busy. 

At the back of his mind, he thought of Serena. He missed her, he thought. With the Kalos League suspended for the year-long Legendary Lockdown, he supposed that she wouldn’t have much to do aside from her government-assigned missions with Diantha. He’d heard that she’d gotten into Contests in her free time as of late, and he’d promised he would come see her perform when she got to Lumiose. Maybe they could even battle, if she was up to it, and he could borrow Brandy from his father again—he knew that Meyer had an Ampharosite hidden in his room, maybe Clemont could give Mega Evolving a go. 

“Ah, nah.” Clemont shook his head, sighing. No one was legally allowed to Mega Evolve during the year, either. After averting the crisis of the Ultimate Weapon and Zygarde’s wrath on Lumiose, the entire region was found to be covered in Mega Energy. According to inter-regional regulation, Kalos had to close its borders for a year while they purged the land of Mega Energy. “None of that.” He huffed. 

He reached down to pick up a pen Serena had bought him for his birthday, twirling it between his fingers as he hummed, poring over the code he was writing. It jerked softly, and Clemont winced when he felt a little spark between his skin and the pen. It stuck to his hand, and he frowned, shaking his hand as he tried to get it off. 

“Not _this_ again.” He grumbled.

“Gabba.” Clemont jumped when he saw Sycamore’s Garchomp come up to him, resting her snout on top of his head. He jumped when the pen fell from his hand, and he laughed softly, reaching up to pet her. 

“Hey, Athenais.” He said. As of late, Athenais had been particularly affectionate with him—and Bonnie, when she came over after school. “What’s wrong, girl?”

The Garchomp babbled a little more, and began chewing on his cowlick. Clemont laughed, pulling it away from her as he gave her a light little swat on the side of her neck. 

“No, Athenais!” He tutted, and the Garchomp rumbled petulantly. “Oh, jeez.” Clemont shook his head. “Professor Sycamore said you were named after a goddess of wisdom, but you sure don’t act like one, do you!” 

Athenais crooned, snuggling into Clemont’s cheek, and the blond laughed delightedly, catching her trainer’s attention. 

“Athenais!” Sycamore called, and Clemont sat up a little straighter as the man approached them, gently leading his Garchomp’s head away from Clemont. “Don’t bother Clemont, he’s very busy.”

“Nah, I’m fine!” Clemont shook his head, and Sycamore gave him a fond little smile as he reached down to pet the teen’s head. Clemont beamed up at him, and Sycamore chuckled, dissolving into laughter when Athenais began to snuggle her trainer. “In fact, I should be asking _you_ that, Professor. You’d been gone the whole day.”

“Oh, I just lost track of time.” Sycamore smiled sheepishly, “I’d been working on a paper I was meaning to publish, but then, well.” He looked sadly down at the ground, and Clemont deflated. He shook his head. “Lockdown or not, science must continue.” Sycamore said cheerfully. “That’s what Professor Rowan once told me.”

“Professor Rowan!” Clemont breathed. “The Sinnohan Pokémon Professor?” 

“Yep!” Sycamore beamed, and looked around at the lab that was beginning to pack up for the day. “I see Bonnie hasn’t arrived yet.”

“Oh, Dad went to pick her up today.” Clemont said, and Sycamore blinked at him. “He took the day off early today, so he went to go pick her up from school.” He checked his watch, and nodded. “I think they’ll be here in about an hour.”

“Oh, I see.” Sycamore hummed, and jumped. “ _They’ll_ be here?” He spluttered, and Clemont smiled slightly, nodding. “I-I, er, well.”

“Professor, do you wanna come over for dinner?” He asked, and Sycamore looked at him like a wild Pokémon caught in the headlights. “I know how the Legendary Lockdown’s been keeping you busy.” Clemont leered at him, and Sycamore turned an interesting shade of pink. “Miss Sophie’s been complaining about it, you know. She said you haven’t been eating.”

“I—I, well, Clemont, that’s—um.” Sycamore said intelligently, and Clemont shook his head.

“That’s terrible, Professor! Just because Alain’s out…” Clemont made a show of huffing, and Sycamore laughed helplessly into his hand. “Bonnie says you’re getting harder to hug.” He wagged a finger at Sycamore. “You don’t want her to keep thinking that, do you?”

“Clemont, this is a very roundabout way of asking me to have dinner with your family.” Sycamore laughed nervously, and Clemont gave him a grin. 

“I just wanted to help out.” He cocked his head at Sycamore. “Is that a yes, Professor? Dad’s got something he’d been meaning to tell you, anyway.”

“Meyer?” Sycamore asked softly, and Clemont nodded. “I… well.” His cheeks turned red, and he nodded. “I suppose so.”

“Great!” Clemont grinned. “You’re coming home with us later, Professor!”

* * *

_The exact mechanism of Mega Evolution has yet to be elucidated, but it is known that during the process of Mega Evolution, the Pokémon’s body undergoes sudden, rapid metamorphosis, forming new structures that give a Mega Evolved Pokémon a completely different phenotype._

* * *

“I’m going home with them.” Augustine said faintly, leaning against the wall as he stared at a glass case that contained a single Pokéball on a velvet cushion inside. “Meyer has something he wants to tell me. How would—what do you think it is, Leviathan?” 

The Pokéball, of course, said nothing, and the glittering Gyaradosite resting on the cushion next to the Pokéball shimmered a lovely golden hue in the setting sun through Augustine’s window blinds. The man smiled sadly, and he shook his head. 

“I’m sure it’s nothing too serious.” He said, “If Clemont was the one asking.” Augustine got up, and covered the case reverently with an intricate wooden cover, patting it gently. “Until tomorrow, Leviathan.” He murmured, and headed out the door. He was surprised to see Clemont with Athenais, and he smiled fondly as he watched the teen tickle his Garchomp under her chin. The dragon growled happily, snuggling into Clemont and making him laugh brightly. 

Augustine was perfectly content to stand there and simply watch. 

Ever since he and Meyer confirmed their feelings for each other, Augustine had been spending more and more time with Meyer’s children—Clemont, especially. He was truly one of the brightest boys of his age, and Augustine knew that with some encouragement, Clemont could enter the Kalos Polytechnique and excel, allowing him to invent more and more amazing things. 

Meyer had once admitted he very quickly lost track of Clemont’s work with machines. The teen was far too bright for him to keep up, Meyer had said, and Augustine would have to agree.

Clemont was a real child genius, and Augustine was more than happy to help him achieve even greater heights, if he wanted. 

“Hm?” Clemont looked at his phone, and Augustine realised that it was a model he made himself. The teen lit up, and looked at Athenais. “They’re here! Let’s get Dad!”

“Gabba!” Athenais cheered, and Augustine smiled—but then his eyes widened when Athenais and Clemont began to head to _him._ Clemont _froze_ when he saw Augustine looking at him, and Augustine was shocked to see the teen’s face turn bright red.

“P-P-Professor!” He stammered. “I-I-I didn’t see you there! H-h-hey!”

“C-Clemont.” Augustine said intelligently, also feeling his own cheeks burn, and the two of them stood there in awkward silence. Athenais looked at the two trainers, cocking her head. “I-I, uh… is your father here?”

“R-right!” Clemont nodded, laughing nervously, and Augustine gave him a fond little smile. “I-I-I’m sorry! I wa-w-w-wanted to, um!”

“Let’s go meet him at the door.” Augustine chuckled, offering his hand to Clemont, who looked up at him with wide eyes. “We can’t keep him waiting. Cosette will be running experiments until late into the night, so we can leave closing up to her.”

“O-oh!” Clemont lit up, and he nodded eagerly, taking Augustine’s hand. Athenais growled happily, bounding over to Augustine’s other side to press her claw against his palm. Augustine laughed fondly, and held the both of them as they headed to the front doors, which flew open with Bonnie’s shout.

“Clemont!” She squealed into the lobby of Augustine’s lab, and she gasped loudly in delight as she saw the three of them. “Me too! I wanna hold hands too!”

“I only _have_ two hands, Bonnie!” Augustine laughed, but Clemont graciously let Augustine’s hand go to take Athenais’s claw, chuckling fondly. “Thank you, Clemont.” He nodded at the teen, and picked up Bonnie with a grunt of effort. “Oh, Bonnie! You’re getting so big now. Soon enough, I won’t be able to carry you like this!”

“No!” Bonnie protested, shaking her head, and Augustine felt his heart _soar_ when he heard Meyer’s laugh from the doorway. He lit up, looking over at the man as he leaned on the side of the doorway, watching his children with Augustine with such open _fondness_ in his eyes.

Augustine felt his cheeks burn, and he laughed gingerly as Meyer came over to them, ruffling Clemont’s hair affectionately. 

“Bonnie.” He said, lifting her easily as ever, and set her on his shoulders. “That much better?”

“Whoa! I’m up so high!” Bonnie giggled, as Augustine smiled softly up at them. “I’m up so high, Daddy!” 

“Yes, you are.” Meyer chuckled fondly, and looked at Augustine. “Hi.”

“Hello.” Augustine breathed, unable to keep himself from smiling too much, and Meyer laughed awkwardly, coughing behind his fist. “Um… Clemont invited me over for dinner. O-only if you don’t mind, of course.”

“Of course I don’t.” Meyer said, gentler than usual, and Augustine’s heart skipped a beat.

“R-really?” He asked, and Meyer nodded, setting Bonnie down when she began to squirm, eagerly reaching for Athenais. The Garchomp took her from her father, cooing happily as she brought the siblings back together. 

“You know you’re always welcome, Augustine.” He said, and Augustine’s smile widened a little more, giddy at Meyer’s use of his first name. “The children always like having you around.”

“I think they prefer Athenais more than me, honestly.” Augustine chuckled nervously, but he stopped, when Meyer reached forward, tucking a stray lock of his hair behind his ear, none-too-subtly brushing the backs of his fingers against Augustine’s cheekbone. 

“Don’t be so quick to put yourself down.” Meyer said softly, and Augustine huffed softly, smiling as he took the man’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “Oh?” The mechanic blinked at him in surprise at Augustine’s sudden boldness, but he softened up, grinning slightly as he tugged on Augustine’s hand. “C’mon, let’s get going.”

“Please don’t forget the children.” Augustine laughed, as Athenais picked them up, growling happily while the two children giggled brightly in her arms. Meyer grinned at them, giving them a salute.

“Don’t drop the precious cargo, Athenais!” He called, and the Garchomp chuffed in acknowledgement. “Alright, everyone! Out!” 

Meyer and Augustine stepped outside, and Augustine laughed fondly when he saw Meyer’s Ampharos sitting gleefully in the sidecar of his motorbike, bouncing impatiently.

“Brandy!” He greeted her, and she leapt off the seat, rushing towards Augustine to tackle him in a hug. Augustine dissolved into laughter as Brandy cuddled him, and Meyer let him go to gently pry his affectionate Ampharos away from him, tutting. 

“C’mon, girl. Give the man some breathing room.”

“Like _you_ don’t, Daddy!” Bonnie called from where she, Clemont and Athenais were already sitting in Augustine’s convertible. The two men spluttered, Meyer whirling around to gape at his daughter.

“Bonnie, where’d—where’d—”

“Serena.” She huffed confidently. “She dropped by our school the other day.”

Meyer deflated, as Augustine shook his head fondly. “Where did you go wrong, Augustine?” Meyer asked, but he could hear the fondness in the man’s voice. 

“She’s _your_ Champion after sunset.” Augustine replied, and Meyer grinned at him. He laughed a little nervously at the bold claim, but gave Meyer a smile and wave as he made his way to his convertible. “Alright, children! Surely you two won’t leave Meyer all by himself on the bike?”

“But we wanna stay with you and Athenais!” Bonnie huffed, and Clemont nodded eagerly despite the embarrassed flush on his cheeks. “You actually have a nice car!”

“Oh, c’mon!” Meyer laughed, as Brandy hopped into the sidecar with a happy little bleat. “You’re leaving Dad all alone?”

“Aw, don’t be like that!” Bonnie whined, leaning forward to reach her brother in the front seat, tugging on Clemont’s cowlick. “Clemont, you drive Professor Sycamore’s car so he can be with Daddy on the bike!”

“Wh-wh-what?” Clemont stammered, and Augustine dissolved into laughter again as he settled down in the driver’s seat, shaking his head fondly. “B-Bonnie, I can’t drive! Not yet!”

“You’re _16!_ You’re already an adult!” She insisted, but Augustine tutted, hushing the bickering children as he patted Clemont’s knee, untangling Bonnie’s hand from Clemont’s cowlick as Athenais pulled Bonnie back into her seat.

“Now, now, children.” He chuckled warmly, “Don’t bicker.”

“I’ll be alright.” Meyer grinned at them, and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “But make sure Augustine here drives right behind me, okay? I don’t wanna lose my kids!”

“Meyer!” Augustine laughed, and the man gave him a sunny grin and a wink before climbing onto his motorbike. “We’ll be right behind you, I promise.” 

“I know you’ll be.” Meyer said, and he and Augustine shared a private little smile, before Meyer started his bike’s engine. “Right! Let’s get going!”

* * *

_This process is made possible by synchronising the Mega Energy between two stones: a Mega Stone, specific to certain Pokémon species, and a Key Stone, a stone to be held by the Pokémon’s trainer._

* * *

“Meyer, is this…” Augustine breathed, as Meyer held the box open. “I can’t… I can’t believe it.”

“Yeah, I’d been meaning to let you know, but since Mega Evolution’s been outlawed for the year, I never got around to bring it up.” He chuckled, setting the box down on the table, and Augustine laughed into his glass of wine. It was a lovely vintage that made him remember the days of his past, laughing about something with a different man, but holding a simple, squarish glass reminded Augustine that the past was long behind him. 

Lysandre, and the scent of wine, lingered in his mind, but the feeling of a warm home, of Meyer and the department store glasses in the cupboard far too high up for Bonnie to reach kept Augustine rooted to the present. 

Augustine shook his head. “Not you breaking the law every night, Blaziken Mask.” He said, and Meyer huffed. 

“Serena has a permit to Mega Evolve, but even she doesn’t have the time to protect Lumiose.” He said simply, as Augustine picked up the gorgeous, glittering stone in the box with a reverent sigh. Meyer sobered up, and settled down next to Augustine, letting the scientist lean on his side as he turned the Ampharosite in his hand. “It’s Brandy’s. Of course, I rarely have her use it, her old bones might not appreciate the strain Mega Evolving put on them.” 

“Oh, that’s right.” Augustine jumped. “Meyer, you said…”

“Yeah, I’m taking the day off tomorrow, so Vernal and I will be dropping by to give you a sample.” He said, pressing a kiss to Augustine’s temple, and the other man settled down, smiling sheepishly as he leaned against Meyer’s side again. “Do you want me to bring Brandy along, too?”

“Wait, should she really be Mega Evolving?” Augustine asked. “You just said that she might not…”

“Well, we’ll be visiting Nurse Joy tomorrow, too. Clemont’s been telling me that Brandy’s been discharging electricity more frequently, so I’ll have Nurse Joy look at her.” Meyer explained. “You mentioned that old Electric-types discharging electricity was a symptom of osteoporosis, right? Something about her bones, and grounding charges.”

“Ah, yes.” Augustine nodded, frowning as he took a sip of wine. “Oh, no. Brandy’s a senior Pokémon, but she shouldn’t be having osteoporosis at her age, shouldn’t she?”

“Not sure, but hopefully it isn’t osteoporosis.” Meyer shook his head. “Might be just an excess energy thing, I’m not sure. We _have_ been particularly busy lately with all the repairs around Lumiose.” 

“I hope you haven’t been overexerting yourself.” Augustine frowned slightly. 

“I promise I’m not.” Meyer chuckled, and Augustine sighed, leaning against him heavily again. “How about you? Clemont told me you lost track of time again.”

“ _Again._ ” Augustine groaned. “Sorry, the type switching project is eating up so much of my time. A lot of trainers are coming in and out of the lab to give me samples, but it’s been pretty hard looking for Pokémon that actually _change type,_ not just appearance.” 

Meyer hummed, hugging Augustine one-armed as the scientist sighed tiredly. “Thank you so much for volunteering, by the way.” 

“You know I can never say no to you.” Meyer chuckled, and Augustine laughed softly. “I really don’t like seeing you having so much trouble with these things, so I’m really gonna hope that Brandy’s good to go with Mega Evolving. Arceus knows she misses it.”

“I’m sure she does.” Augustine chuckled, and returned the Ampharosite to the box, sighing softly as he shut the lid. “Meyer, I…” He began, and he peered up at the other man. He set the glass of wine down on the table, and felt his cheeks burn as they simply stared at each other.

“Yeah?” Meyer asked softly, and Augustine took an uneasy breath, pointedly looking at the man’s lips. They curled up into a knowing smile, and Meyer leaned forward to kiss him soundly, swallowing Augustine’s relieved sigh as Meyer’s arms wrapped around him in a warm hug. Augustine looped his arms around the back of Meyer’s neck, tangling his fingers through the man’s hair as their kiss deepened, the flavour of wine and that night’s dinner—Slowpoke tail chowder, lovingly cooked by Clemont earlier in the day—mixing together as their tongues rubbed together. 

They parted for air, as Meyer gently carded his hand through Augustine’s messy curls.

“Is this sex or just cuddling?” He chuckled.

“I’m too tired,” Augustine sighed, pressing their foreheads together. “As much as I want it.”

“I figured.” Meyer laughed, pressing a kiss to the tip of Augustine’s nose, and easily lifted the man in his arms, carrying him to his room. “Just bed, then.”

“Just—” Augustine yawned again, and Meyer huffed fondly. “ _Ah._ Just bed.”

“As you wish.”

* * *

_For Pokémon that are capable of Mega Evolving, biological samples were obtained from both the trainer and the partner Pokémon before, during, and after Mega Evolution, performed in accordance with Inter-regional Law, Mandate KL1245-2033, with exemption permit number 0004-2033._

* * *

“Let’s go, Apollon! Respond to my heart, Key Stone!” 

Augustine winced, watching as the light of Mega Evolution flooded the battle arena. Beside him, Cosette put on her sunglasses for the third time that day, and Augustine couldn’t help but smile at her nonchalance. Alain touched the glittering stole pin on his scarf, and Augustine lit up at the familiar design of it. 

He’d been in contact with Steven Stone, it seemed.

“Surpass evolution! Mega Evolve!” 

Alain’s voice was as confident as Augustine remembered, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the teen as the light from his Key Stone met the light from the Charizardite X that came pouring out from a simple leather choker around his Charizard’s neck. Apollon had grown beautifully too, Augustine thought fondly, as he watched Apollon cloaked in light, roaring powerfully into the air as Mega Energy surged through his body, flesh and bone forming anew as power surged within him. 

Cosette labelled a vial with ‘ _Changing_ ’, and handed it to Augustine. He gave her a sweet smile, loading the vial onto a handheld device not too unfamiliar to a gun—it had been an invention of Clemont’s, an automatic blood extractor with a replaceable needle and changeable collecting vial holder. It was specifically designed for extracting blood from Pokémon, and Augustine knew the Nurse Joy of the Boulevard Sud Pokémon Centre enjoyed her own model of the device—the No-Pain-Pricker, as Clemont had affectionately nicknamed it. 

Here in Augustine’s lab, it was what he used to extract blood from Pokémon during Mega Evolution. 

Across Alain, Clemont took a deep breath, holding his father’s Key Stone in his fist. 

“Okay.” He said, and thrust it up into the air. 

“Brandy!” He called, and Augustine looked at the blond, feeling pride surge in his chest as the Key Stone began to glow. “Bring the thunder, scorch the earth with lightning!” 

“Oh?” Augustine breathed softly, as the tubby Ampharos let out a determined cry, staring down Apollon as she stood up determinedly in front of Clemont. 

“ _Mega Evolve!_ ” 

Brandy let out a powerful cry, throwing her head back as Mega Energy surged around her, filling the arena with light as she began to transform. 

“Cosette, please keep an eye on the pain reception.” Augustine said, turning to the young woman as she ducked behind their equipment. “Is Brandy doing alright?”

“She’s totally fine, Professor.” She confirmed, “Looks like the corticosteroids are doing their job.”

“That’s good.” Augustine sighed in relief, as the light died down to reveal a Mega Ampharos, resolute and powerful as she faced off Alain’s Apollon. “Right. We’d better get going.” He turned to look at the nurse standing by behind them, and they nodded, holding up their own set of syringes and vials, for Alain and Clemont.

“I’ve got the replacement vial for the other Pokémon here.” Cosette nodded, holding up another vial, and Augustine nodded. He took the vial from her, tucking it into his lab coat’s pocket as he made his way towards the battlefield, where the two Mega Evolved Pokémon began to battle. Augustine headed first to Alain, who was trying not to grin too much as he approached. Regardless, Augustine gave him a kind smile, and stood beside him as he barked orders at Apollon, building the Mega Energy between him and Brandy. 

“I think that’s enough.” Augustine said, and Alain nodded. 

“Apollon, back!” He ordered, and the Mega Charizard kicked off the ground, flipping into the air to land heavily in front of Augustine, looking at him expectantly. 

“Be a good boy now.” He said gently, sanitizing a patch of Apollon’s skin before he pressed the auto-extractor to the Charizard’s thigh. Apollon groaned softly, and Alain hissed, watching as the Mega Energy flickered. 

“Shh, concentrate.” He said gently, reaching up to pet the Mega Charizard, who groaned softly as Augustine nodded, pulling the extractor away. He quickly pressed a bandage to the wound, and Apollon shot away from them, charging at Brandy as Clemont ordered for her to charge at him with a Volt Tackle. 

“Professor!” Clemont called, “Did you get it?”

“Got it!” Augustine said pleasantly, lifting the auto-injector with a sunny grin, and Clemont lit up. 

“That’s great! It’ll be me and Brandy next in a bit.” He said, and turned back to the battle as Alain ordered Apollon to fire a Flamethrower, resolutely looking away from the needle being inserted into his arm—

“ _Merde!_ ” Alain swore, and Augustine’s eyes widened slightly as the nurse was trying hard not to laugh as they began to draw blood from his arm. “Is it over? Please tell me it’s over.”

“Far from it!” Clemont teased from the other side of the field, and Alain’s eyebrow twitched.

“Apollon, use Dragon Claw!” He ordered, and Clemont jumped.

“Brandy, dodge!” He called, and the Mega Ampharos jumped out of the way. Augustine rolled his eyes, and gently pinched Alain’s cheek as the nurse quickly finished off extracting Alain’s blood, marking the vial with his name before hurrying away back to Cosette to hand the vial over. 

Alain looked at Augustine, frowning petulantly, and Augustine laughed softly, patting his shoulder.

“Come now, don’t sulk.” He said, “I’ll treat you to a nice dinner tonight. That little mom-and-pop Siebold’s grandparents run in Autumnal Avenue? It’s been a while.” 

“Fine.” Alain huffed, and Augustine smiled at him, ruffling his hair gently before he hurried away from Alain, heading to Clemont’s side of the pitch. The blond gave him a sunny grin, waving Augustine over as Brandy and Apollon slammed down on the ground, sending a powerful shockwave through the battle arena.

“Oh, wow!” Augustine laughed, reloading the auto-injection device with a new needle and vial. “Don’t get overzealous, boys! I don’t want my windows shattering!” 

“No promises!” Alain called, and Augustine felt his heart _soar_ when he saw him grinning so widely. “Apollon, use Flamethrower!”

“Deflect it with Thunderbolt!” Clemont ordered, his grin mirroring the one on Alain’s face as Brandy shot forward, crying out into the sky as bolts of lightning shot out from her paws, darting forward to meet Apollon’s Flamethrower halfway. The clash caused an explosion in the air between them, and Augustine laughed brightly as he and Clemont stood together, resisting the force of the wind blowing towards them. 

“I think that’s enough!” Augustine called, “Alain, if you please?” 

“Right. Apollon, ease up!” Alain called, as Clemont nodded. 

“Brandy, over here!” He called, and the Mega Ampharos sprang towards them, surprisingly limber. Clemont grinned at her as she patiently stood in front of Augustine, who straightened up with a huff. He gave the Mega Ampharos a little smile, and brought the injector close—

“Ah, _merde._ ” Augustine hissed, when a spark of electricity shot from Brandy’s skin and up his arm, and he nearly dropped the extractor. Clemont jumped, and Brandy looked at him worriedly. “Apologies, Clemont. I’ll try again.”

“No, Professor. Let me.” Clemont said, quickly taking the extractor from the man. “We can’t waste time, not while the Mega Energy’s diminishing.”

“Clemont, Brandy’s discharging—” Augustine began, but his eyes widened as the teen quickly disinfected Brandy’s skin, sparks of yellow electricity rushing into his hands like they were pulled into him. He stood there, dumbfounded as Clemont extracted blood from Brandy’s thigh, just like Augustine had from Apollon, and quickly patched his father’s Ampharos up with a bandage Augustine handed him. 

Clemont straightened up, nodding at Brandy. “Get Apollon with a Dragon Pulse!”

“Back in the game, Apollon! Counter with Dragon Claw!” Alain ordered, and the battle resumed as Clemont thrust the extractor at Augustine. The professor took it from the blond, dumbfounded, and nearly dropped it when he felt an electric charge shoot up his arm from the extractor. Still, he held on, shaking his head when the nurse tried to touch Clemont—only to flinch away.

Clemont peered at them in alarm as they turned to Augustine, shaking their head. 

“I can’t touch him, he’s zapping me up.” They said, and sighed, putting an arm akimbo. “You’re like a big ol’ semiconductor, Leader Clemont.” 

“A semiconductor…” Augustine breathed, and he shook his head. “We can’t prolong this battle even more. Brandy might get hurt.” He bit his lip, but then lit up. “Wait. I have an idea.”

He whistled loudly, and Athenais came flying in from the Pokémon Sanctuary, cooing happily when she saw Alain and Clemont, and the two battling Pokémon. Augustine waved her over, and she hurried to him gleefully. 

“Athenais, please hold Clemont for me, just for a moment.” Augustine said, as the battle continued, and the teen peered at him in surprise. Augustine gave him a little grin, and patted his Garchomp, who happily rested her snout on Clemont’s head, as she was wont to do. They watched in surprise as Athenais shivered pleasantly, letting out a rumbling little giggle as she cuddled Clemont for a moment before letting go. “Thank you, girl.” He turned back to the nurse, and nodded at them. “Could you try now, please?”

“Uh… sure.” They replied uneasily, but both the nurse and Clemont looked surprised when they touched his arm, and felt nothing. “Oh, wow! All discharged now, huh? Time to do my job!”

Clemont looked at Augustine in amazement, and Augustine nodded at him. 

“Go a few more rounds, and that’s quite enough, boys!” He said, raising his voice so Alain could hear, and the two teens nodded. 

The nurse finished off their work, and they stood back alongside Augustine as the two trainers clashed their Pokémon a few more times, before Clemont pulled Brandy out first. Augustine hurried to Cosette, who had another auto-injector (pen-style, this time, like an epinephrine shot) ready for him. He armed it as the two Pokémon reverted to their normal forms, and the nurse and Augustine got back to work again. 

This time, Augustine took care of Brandy first, the Ampharos wincing slightly as she dropped to her knees. 

“Brandy!” Clemont gasped, hurrying to Augustine and the Ampharos, and stood back, watching helplessly as Augustine drew blood from her, and then injected her with the pen auto injector. “Is she…”

“I gave her some painkillers,” Augustine explained, and as if on cue, Brandy yawned, slumping forward to cuddle Augustine. “Oh!” He laughed, and he heard Athenais charge at them delightedly, roaring happily as she cuddled her trainer too. “Athenais!” He scolded half-heartedly, and the Garchomp pulled away to cuddle Clemont instead, while the nurse drew blood from him. 

“You guys good?” Alain called, and Augustine nodded, gesturing at Clemont. 

“Clemont, could you…”

“Oh, right.” Clemont nodded, and put his father’s Ampharos back into her Pokéball. Augustine headed to Apollon and Alain, the latter already rolling up his sleeve with a vengeful look at the syringes the nurse carried, and Augustine huffed fondly. 

“Come on, Alain, it’s the last extraction.” He chuckled, and Alain resolutely said nothing as Augustine drew blood from a hilariously more collected Apollon. “That’s a good boy. Back into the Pokéball you go, Apollon.”

Apollon rubbed his snout against Augustine’s cheek as Alain looked away from the nurse extracting his blood, squeezing his eyes shut. 

“Apollon, return.” He said, strained, and Augustine shook his head fondly. The nurse finished up quickly, and gave Augustine a thumbs-up.

“And we’re done here.” They said. “I’ll hand this over to your assistant. Good luck on the study, Professor!”

“Thank you.” Augustine nodded graciously, giving them a smile as he gently took hold of Alain’s wrist. “Please don’t forget to have a word with Sophie about your cheque before you go.”

“Got it.” The nurse gave him a mock salute, and strode away. Augustine smiled as he pulled Alain into a hug, pressing the teen’s head against his chest. 

“There, there.” He said, and Alain buried his red face into Augustine’s lab coat. 

“I’m not a kid anymore, Dad.”

Augustine couldn’t help the wide grin that crossed his face, as Alain hid further into his clothes. For the longest time, Alain hadn’t called him that, despite their relationship as an adoptive family. It wasn’t until after the Legendary crisis— _after Lysandre_ —did Alain start calling him ‘Dad’, and Augustine still didn’t know why. 

Still, he knew better than to press Alain for it. In some way, he wanted to think that perhaps this was Lysandre’s last gift to him, and Augustine would prefer to remember that man this way. 

The little word brought Augustine so much joy, but his eyes would always prickle afterwards, like a chaser following a burning shot. It’d been a few months since Lysandre, but the wounds were still raw. 

“But I’m still your legal guardian.” Augustine managed to say, “For _at least_ another year.” He smiled softly as Alain pulled away to pout petulantly up at him. “And that means, _Alain Sycamore_ , that you’re still _mon petit chou_ who hates going to the hospital.”

“Just needles.” Alain mumbled, but jerked away from Augustine when Clemont approached them, Athenais in tow. “You didn’t see anything.”

“Nothing to be embarrassed about.” Clemont said, as Athenais let him go to cuddle Alain this time. “I’m sure you’ve seen me in uncool situations.”

“Pressing the kill switch on your invention is worse than being scared of needles.” Alain deadpanned, and Augustine winced. Luckily, Clemont seemed to take it in stride, and he patted the older teen’s shoulder. 

“Alain, it’s okay to get upset about something.” He said, and looked up at Augustine. “By the way, Professor, I have a favour to ask.”

“What is it, Clemont?” Augustine blinked. 

“Please don’t tell Dad about what happened.” He said, and Alain blinked at him in confusion. “I-I uh, Alain, please don’t talk about it either.”

“I’m not a cop.” Alain huffed, crossing his arms, and Augustine chuckled fondly. “Wait, what happened?” Alain asked, and it was Clemont’s turn to blush as Augustine’s chuckle dissolved into helpless laughter. 

“Clemont was discharging electricity quite a lot.” Augustine explained patiently. “I asked Athenais to discharge him so the nurse could draw blood without getting shocked.”

“Discharging.” Alain hummed. “That’s weird.”

“Yeah.” Clemont sighed, and the Professor nodded understandingly, ushering the two teens along with him back into the lab proper. “I’ve been encountering situations like that recently.”

“It’s not just now?” Alain asked, and Augustine blinked at the blond. 

“No.” Clemont shook his head. “I’d frequently have high static electricity on my skin, and stuff… I’d shock Bonnie sometimes, too.” He looked up at Augustine. “What could that mean, Professor?”

“Well, your father’s been telling me that you’ve been spending quite some time with Brandy.” He said, and Clemont nodded. 

“At some point, I wanted to get used to Mega Evolving.” He said, “I think it’d make an interesting challenge to Gym Challengers.” Clemont shrugged. “That, and I know a strong bond between trainer and Pokémon is needed for Mega Evolving to work, so…”

“I see.” Augustine hummed. “Brandy has frequently Mega Evolved before, and you live with Meyer these days, who is also frequently exposed to Mega Energy…”

“Dad, you don’t think…” Alain said, and Augustine hummed. 

“It’s a possibility,” he said. “Perhaps… Mega Energy has _other_ effects we don’t know about.”

* * *

_The Mega Evolving samples were then separated according to the presence or absence of the ability to change type, designated Changing or Constant, respectively. DNA was then extracted from all tissue samples using the PokéGenPure DNA Extraction Kit™ (Lysandre Laboratories), following the manufacturer’s protocol._

* * *

The Legendary crises of Kalos was felt throughout the world. There were deep scars left on the surface of Kalos, but there were even more wounds left on the hearts of others, even across different regions. Kalos, after all, was a tourism hotspot, and Geosenge and Lumiose were some of its most popular places for people to be. Team Flare’s havoc and Zygarde’s wrath were not without casualties. 

Augustine remembered the wee hours of the morning prior to the lockdown, when Steven Stone was rushing to get out of the region. All the data he and Steven had extracted from Lysandre Labs was thrust into Augustine’s hands the moment the dust settled. After a brief moment of apology, Steven was immediately on his phone, contacting someone to get him out of Kalos and into Hoenn as fast as possible. 

Steven was used to the lockdown life, Augustine knew. After all, Hoenn had been the first region to enforce it. He felt sorry for the man, sorry for the pair of the cobalt blue ring on his finger as Steven pulled all the strings he could to escape the year-long lockdown. Even Diantha had helped, bringing Steven along to the nearest airport on her private limo to get him out of there as soon as possible. 

The morning after, Steven Stone was gone, and Lumiose began to lick its wounds. Augustine came back to his lab and found a few of his own wounds—shattered eggs and broken bodies, a reminder of how lives are often gone too soon. 

Augustine never thought he would have to tell a grad student’s loved ones they passed away, or an expecting trainer that their baby Pokémon would never hatch, yet there he was. He sat in the shell of his office, dealing with death and heartache, as below him, his laboratory continued on, monitoring region-wide levels of Mega Energy that would cause spontaneous Mega Evolution in unprepared Pokémon. Serena, the new Champion of the region, was soon busy travelling around with much freer Diantha, taking care of the rampages these Mega Evolved Pokémon were causing. 

Meanwhile, Augustine and Alain found themselves living together more and more frequently as the lockdown progressed. At the beginning of lockdown, Alain himself took Mairin back home to her parents–all beginner trainers were legally halted from going on journeys while the lockdown was in effect, and Alain felt partially responsible for it. The teen took a long time to come home, but Augustine patiently waited for him, until Alain came home to their rat-hole of a Lumiose apartment at 3AM, with a bag of cheap Kantonian take-out and an apologetic look on his face. Every now and then, Alain left home to help Serena and Diantha with their mission, but more often than not, the teen was in Lumiose, spending more time with his father, and the laboratory he called his second home.

The outpouring of support for Kalos was touching. Unova had just recently experienced its _second_ lockdown, as well, and Augustine became very well acquainted with Professor Juniper—the younger one—over long-distance calls. Hoenn’s support was well-felt, and Augustine was relieved to hear that Steven had made it back safely, if a little tumultuously, based on the call he made to Augustine’s lab, asking about the data they had extracted.

_“My husband was_ not _happy to learn what I’d been up to.”_ Steven had laughed, _“I’m grounded for the rest of the year.”_

Augustine had no idea that Steven was _married._ He was sure that was something that would’ve hit the headlines—after all, Steven was one of the youngest (most available?) CEOs in the world—but Augustine supposed he wouldn’t have minded prior to this whole mess—he’d only made a friend out of the young man recently, after all. 

Still, the casual mention of marriage brought something to Augustine’s mind. 

He’d never been married before, hell, the _last_ time he had ever been in a relationship serious enough to _consider_ marriage was with a man who nearly ended the _world,_ but.

But.

Augustine had been thinking about it—about living in a humble little house above an electronics shop instead of the ricketiest rat hole in all of Lumiose. About giving Alain the siblings who would love him dearly, the family life and the warm home he deserved. 

He’d thought about it—probably way more than he did with Lysandre, come to think of it—about Meyer getting down on one knee in front of him.

He’d say yes, oh Arceus, _yes._ How could he say anything else to the man and the family that kept him sane as Kalos depended on him and his team to monitor the Mega Energy scattered everywhere?

* * *

The investigations on Geosenge and Prism Tower would take a long time. That was why Clemont was temporarily working in the Sycamore Pokémon Laboratory, as his Gym got caught in the crossfire of Team Flare’s rage. Augustine was made privy to the details of the investigation—he was, after all, the biggest expert on Mega Energy and Mega Evolution—so when Alain’s old Mega Ring and Charizardite X made its way back to him, he wasn’t surprised. 

“We’ve finished extracting the technology from the hardware in this Mega Ring.” The officer said, setting the open blue briefcase down on the table. Augustine peered at the inner velvet cushions of the Mega Ring and the Mega Stone, and sighed gently as he ran his fingers over it.

“Thank you very much.” He said, and the young man nodded. 

“By the way, there was something else the investigation team found at the Geosenge site. We’ve completed analysis on it, and the Chief decided that it should go to you, all things considered.” He said, and Augustine blinked as he put another briefcase—red velvet-lined, this time—on the table, unclasping the locks to open it. “Miss Malva recommended that you have it as well.”

Augustine’s eyes widened at the three objects inside the briefcase—a Gyaradosite, a Key Stone mounted on a ring, and a Pokéball in its reduced form. 

“That’s…” Augustine began, and the officer nodded. 

“Miss Malva said you’d recognise it.” He said. “This was all that was left of Mr. Lysandre’s team. While we were told that he had four Pokémon, we only found his Gyarados, left alone with his Mega Ring near where Champion Serena said she last saw him.”

Oh, Serena, Augustine thought. She’d been with him in those last few moments, she told him. There was something _haunted_ in the way the girl looked as she talked about Lysandre, and Augustine wondered how deeply that man was rooted in Serena and Alain’s hearts. Though hopefully not as deep as Lysandre’s hold on Augustine’s heart, he knew that somehow, Lysandre had made a profound change in both of them. 

“I see.” Augustine said gently, and stroked the Pokéball tenderly. “Have you… as far as I know, I don’t _actually_ have the right to have Leviathan, he’s… wasn’t he supposed to enter the adoption system?”

“Oh, we’ve tried.” The officer sighed. “Normally, the Gyarados would not go to you, as you are not Mr. Lysandre’s family, nor his legal partner.” 

Legal partner, he’d said. Augustine felt his heart sink for a moment as he thought of what could have been. If things were different, would he have been down there in Geosenge, as well?

“When we extracted the Gyaradosite—Champion Serena told us it was Mega Evolved when she last battled it—it became very violent, and very angry. No matter what kind of calming therapy we applied to it, nothing worked.” The officer looked down at the ground. “Of course, the next step would have been to… put it down, but Miss Malva interfered.” 

Augustine felt his blood go cold.

“Of course, as much as possible, we would rather _not_ put Pokémon down. Especially this one—he’s shiny, and all.” The man sighed, “So it was pretty easy to have the Gyarados registered to you. He’s yours on record now, Professor.”

“I… thank you.” Augustine said faintly. “I’ll… I’ll care for him.”

“Thanks.” The man nodded. “I’m sure Mr. Lysandre would have wanted you to.”

* * *

_It is widely known that a bond between a trainer and their Pokémon is a catalyst of some sort for Mega Evolution. This bond provides the strength and willpower in a Pokémon to withstand not only the strain of sudden, rapid metamorphosis, but also the extreme amounts of pain that a Pokémon endures in the name of growing stronger._

* * *

“Are you ready?” Serena asked, her expression fierce as she held herself steady, facing Augustine down across the pitch. Augustine nodded, and Serena raised her eyebrow at him. “You sure? This is your first time Mega Evolving with a Pokémon other than Athenais.” She hesitated, her expression tightening. “ _If_ it’ll let you Mega Evolve it at all.”

“I won’t know until I try.” Augustine replied. “I’ve met Leviathan before. He knows me.”

“I _hope_ he does.” Serena mumbled, and released a Venusaur into the field. Augustine lit up at the sight of it—the little Bulbasaur he’d gifted to her had grown so beautifully, he thought, and it met his gaze, nodding in recognition. “We’ve got it covered, just in case it tries anything. Venus has Sleep Powder on her.” She nodded at Clemont in the crowd watching them. “You’ve got Clemont’s Beddy-Bye Patch on you too, right?”

“Yes, I do. Thank you, Serena.” Augustine nodded, and took a deep breath. Serena held her breath, too, as Augustine activated the Pokéball in his hand. “Let’s go, Leviathan!” He called, tossing the Pokéball into the air, and around them, the room filled with Augustine’s grad students, Alain, and Clemont held their breaths as Lysandre’s shiny Gyarados emerged from the Pokéball with a powerful roar. He began to thrash around, and Augustine’s heart sank as he saw the genuine fear and confusion in Leviathan’s eyes. The scientist quickly hurried forward, hands up with Leviathan’s Pokéball in his palm.

“Venus, be ready,” Serena hissed as Augustine skidded to a halt in front of the roaring Gyarados. “Any wrong move, and we’re in there.”

“Leviathan!” Augustine called, “Leviathan, it’s me!” He called, and the Gyarados finally calmed down somewhat, turning to look at Augustine with bewildered eyes. “Yes, it’s me. Augustine. I know you know me.” He said gently, lowering his hands, and the Gyarados sank down with a soft sound that was not too different from a sob. Augustine sighed as he held the Gyarados close, gently pressing Clemont’s invention against Leviathan’s skin behind the fins of his head. “Oh, Leviathan. I’m so sorry.” He sighed sadly, sinking down to the ground with the _finally_ calm Gyarados. “I know you miss him. I—”

Augustine hesitated, and almost gingerly added, in a voice barely a whisper. “I miss him too, somehow.” He pulled Leviathan closer, squeezing his eyes shut. “Despite everything… I miss him.”

The Gyarados sobbed quietly, and the crowd heaved a collective sigh of relief as Augustine finally managed to gently mount the Gyaradosite onto the massive Pokémon. He pulled away, gently cupping Leviathan’s face in his small hands. 

“Leviathan,” Augustine said gently, “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to ask you for help.” He gave Leviathan a weak smile, and the Gyarados’s gaze sharpened on him. “Could you do that for me?”

The Gyarados growled softly, and Augustine nodded, leaning up to press a kiss to Leviathan’s crest. 

“Thank you.” He said gently, and reached into his coat pocket to show Leviathan the auto-extractor he’d used on the other Pokémon for his study. “Okay, this is an extractor. It’s going to take some of your blood, but I promise it won’t hurt very much. Are you okay with that?”

Leviathan let out a soft rumbling sound, and Augustine nodded. 

“Thank you.” He said gently, “Good boy. Here we go.”

* * *

“I’m getting a bad feeling about this.” Alain deadpanned, frowning as he watched Lysandre’s Gyarados bow his head to Augustine as the scientist worked on extracting blood from him. Clemont hummed, frowning as he gently thumbed at his own string of Pokéballs in his pockets. 

“Me too.” He murmured, “The both of us should be ready just in case Dad—uh.”

Alain raised an eyebrow at him, and the blond’s cheeks turned bright red. 

“Did you just.”

“ _Pleasedon’tsayanything._ ”

Alain’s lips quirked up slightly. “Did. You just.”

“ _Alain!_ ” Clemont hissed, “Please, don’t tell the Professor! Bonnie put me up to it and we’ve been calling him that privately for a while now, just getting used to it, and I _swear_ it’s not like I—”

“Is Mr. Meyer planning to propose?” Alain asked, cutting him off, and Clemont pursed his lips. “Is it true?”

“I… well…” the blond laughed nervously. “Yeah.”

“Oh.” Alain said softly, and Clemont finally sobered up when he saw how _soft_ Alain’s expression became. “Oh, I see. That’s… that’s wonderful.”

“You’re…” the blond blinked, and Alain laughed softly, shaking his head.

“I’ve wanted someone like Mr. Meyer for him, for a very long time now.” The older teen sighed. “I thought… I would be able to find it in Lysandre, but… well.” He shrugged. “He tried to end the world, and now, he’s dead.”

“Talk about cheerful.” Clemont grumbled, and Alain huffed. “But I get it. I… can’t imagine a life like that for the Professor. It’s not…” He shook his head. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter now.”

“All we can do is keep moving forward.” Alain murmured, and the other teen nodded. “In the end, I’m glad it was Serena that faced him off. I don’t think I would have been able to.”

Clemont looked at him pityingly, but the sudden hush that fell over the crowd caught their attention as Augustine returned to his spot across Serena. 

* * *

Augustine took a shaky breath, and looked down at the Key Stone mounted on the lid of his wristwatch. He hesitated, and he shook his head, taking Lysandre’s Mega Ring out of his breast pocket, and slid it onto his thumb. It was still loose even there, and Augustine felt something pang in his chest as he thought of what things would have been like, if he’d slipped the ring on a different finger.

He shook his head, and met Serena’s gaze. 

“Let’s begin.” He said, and she nodded as Leviathan reared up. He took a deep breath, and touched the Key Stone on Lysandre’s ring. “Leviathan, Mega Evolve!” He called, and much to his surprise, light flooded from the Key Stone, as the Gyaradosite mounted on Leviathan lit up at the same time. Across him, Serena activated her own Mega Ring, and Leviathan and Serena’s Venusaur were cloaked in a shell of light, before smashing out of it as Mega Evolved Pokémon, roaring powerfully into the air.

Augustine held his breath as Leviathan levitated off the ground, twitching and trembling as he snarled at Venus, who stared him down steadily as she whipped her vines on the ground in warning. 

Augustine peered at the Beddy-Bye Patch behind Leviathan’s frontal fins. He knew it would be collecting blood samples as they battled as a failsafe, and he tucked away the auto-extractor cautiously into his coat pocket. 

“Leviathan?” He called, “Leviathan, are you okay? Can you hear me?”

Leviathan suddenly snarled, whirling around to snap his fangs at Augustine. The Mega Gyarados had fury and pain in his eyes, and Augustine’s eyes widened as it charged at him—

“Venus, Sleep Powder!” Serena barked, and the Mega Venusaur charged forward at Leviathan, but the Mega Gyarados slapped her aside with an Aqua Tail, charging forward to grab Augustine between its jaws.

Clemont and Alain shot to their feet as the Mega Gyarados slammed another Aqua Tail against the wall of the lab, allowing him to escape with Augustine in his mouth. 

“Professor!” Clemont shouted, grabbing a Pokéball from his pocket. “Damn it, I knew it…”

“Why weren’t you fighting it?” Alain murmured, and Clemont turned to look at him, eyes wide. 

“What?” He asked, as the older teen stood up. 

“Dad wasn’t fighting it.” Alain said, his grip white-knuckled on his Charizard’s ball, and Clemont’s expression faltered on him. “ _Why wasn’t he fighting it?_ ”

“Clemont! Alain!” Serena yelled at them, and they jerked to attention to see the girl sitting on the back of her Mega Venusaur like it was a Ryhorn, her eyes fierce. “You two, with me! Someone call Blaziken Mask!”

“I-I’m on it!” Clemont stammered, as Alain nodded, releasing Apollon from his Pokéball. The Charizard hovered in the air in front of his trainer, looking at him expectantly.

“We’ll be right behind you,” he said, and Serena nodded, before prodding at her Mega Venusaur to hurry out of the lab after the Mega Gyarados. Alain took a deep breath, and touched the pin on his scarf. “Respond to my heart, Key Stone!” He called, as light enveloped Apollon. “Mega Evolve!”

Apollon let out a powerful roar as he transformed, and Clemont hung up, nodding at Alain. 

“Papa’s on his way.” He said, and held up his Luxray’s Pokéball. “I don’t think Taffy is gonna be of much help. Could I hitch a ride with you?”

“Guess I didn’t need to ask.” Alain huffed, jumping onto Apollon’s back, and Clemont gave him a little grin as Alain pulled him up. He didn’t wait for Clemont to get steady, and shot right out of the hole after Serena and the runaway Mega Gyarados.

Clemont let out a scream, squeezing his arms around Alain. 

“Alain, you _dick!_ ”

* * *

_The importance of the bond between trainer and Pokémon seemingly runs deeper than simple consent and trust. The excruciating pain that accompanies Mega Evolution, especially during the first time it occurs for the trainer-partner pair, is known to cause rampages in inexperienced or unstable trainer pairs. It is likely that the mental state of the Pokémon is also important to the success of Mega Evolution in general, and the relationship it shares with the trainer initiating the Mega Evolution plays a major role._

* * *

Augustine lay back in Leviathan’s agape mouth, his hand pressed against the Mega Gyarados’s cheek gently as he rampaged through the town. He knew Leviathan still held some regard to him—some delicacy in the way he held Augustine, despite the Earthquakes he was setting off, or the damages he’d caused with Iron Head. 

He didn’t fire off anything from his mouth—preoccupied with carrying Augustine as Mega Energy burned through him, flared up with the rage of pain in his aching body. Augustine wondered how many times Leviathan had even been Mega Evolved—was he used to it, or was he driven to this due to inexperience, just like Leader Korrina’s Mega Lucario had been?

Augustine gently thumbed at the Gyarados’s scales, uncharacteristically pristine and beautiful. Even Lysandre’s Pokémon, destined for death as he had been, had his plans been successful, were kept in such a beautiful state. Lysandre took great care of his Pokémon, loved them deeply as any other trainer would, and yet despite all that—

Augustine felt his eyes prickling. 

Despite all that, despite the love between him and his Pokémon—he had still been willing to do the unthinkable.

“I’m so sorry, Leviathan.” Augustine said shakily, as Leviathan snapped a lamppost in half with an Aqua Tail. “Oh, you loved him.”

Much like Augustine did, come to think of it. Augustine had never thought such a great man could be so… _irredeemable,_ but the scars on Lumiose told him otherwise. The blood that forever stained Augustine’s mind, invisible on the carpet of his laboratory’s lounge, and the Pokémon eggshells that remained scattered in the corner of Augustine’s heart told him that no, Lysandre had never been the man that Augustine fell in love with.

The Mega Gyarados’s cry was akin to a sob, one of a broken heart much like Augustine’s was, and his heart sank as the Mega Gyarados stopped, slumping against the wall of a café. Passers-by ran away from them, screaming, but Augustine paid them no attention when he realised where they had stopped. 

Lysandre’s café—now cordoned off by the Gendarmerie de Kalos, with yellow tape and signages warning people against entering a crime scene. 

“Oh, Leviathan…” Augustine breathed, and he winced, cowering into Leviathan’s mouth as the Mega Gyarados let out a wail, grating and oh so _painful_ as he thrashed about, slamming his tail into the buildings—though not hitting the café at all. 

“Sleep Powder!” Serena’s voice cut through the haze of Augustine’s mind, and his eyes widened as the Mega Gyarados slammed his tail around to block off the attack again. Augustine turned to see the Mega Venusaur charging towards them. “ _Merde!_ ” She swore, as above her, Augustine spotted the familiar black and blue of Alain’s Apollon charging at them.

“Taffy, use Discharge!” Clemont’s voice came from behind Apollon, and his Luxray emerged from his Pokéball, charging at the Mega Gyarados with his fangs bared. A wave of electricity shot towards them, and Augustine squeezed his eyes shut—only for Leviathan to discharge the wave electricity with a furious Earthquake that shook the little alleyway they were in. 

“Be careful!” Alain snapped, and Augustine could feel some semblance of himself returning to him when he heard the two boys bickering behind Apollon. 

“Stay back!” He called, leaning out of the Mega Gyarados’s mouth, and the three teens gaped at him. 

“Shit, _no?_ ” Serena shot back, “You’re in its _mouth,_ Professor!”

“I’ll be fine!” Augustine called back. “He’s being careful with me. We need to restrain him gently, otherwise we’ll hurt him!”

“Professor, he’s hurting so many people already!” Serena huffed, but she shook her head as the three teens came to a stop at a safe distance from the rampaging Mega Gyarados. She took a long-suffering sigh as Alain leapt off Apollon (and Clemont _fell_ off him). Serena met up with the two boys and Clemont’s Luxray, running her hand through her short hair. 

“You two, any ideas?” She asked, jumping off her Mega Venusaur as she reverted to her original form. “I really don’t want to battle it—the Professor’s in there.”

Alain looked at Clemont, who frowned deeply in thought as he held his chin.

“Well, um…” He said, as the other two teens looked at him. “I have an idea, but I’m not sure how well the Professor might take to it.”

“Anything’s good at this point.” Serena frowned. “Let us know what you need.”

“I’ll need…” Clemont trailed off, and took a shaky breath, and gave his Luxray a scratch under his chin. “Taffy.” He said, and the Luxray purred happily. “I’ll also need a Dedenne.”

“A… Dedenne?” Alain blinked at him, as Serena nodded, hurrying away to the Pokémon Centre not too far from the cafe. “H-hey, Serena—” He began, but he cut himself off when he saw Clemont taking deep, shaky breaths as he shrugged his bag on, testing out the Aipom Arm that came out of it. “Clemont, what the _hell_ are you planning?”

“You know how we figured out that I was pretty much a human semiconductor?” He asked, and Alain’s eyes widened. “I’m gonna try conducting Discharge and Nuzzle to the Mega Gyarados to paralyse it. Hopefully it’ll give us enough time to take it down.”

“What about my father?” Alain asked, and Clemont shook his head. 

“Hopefully, he’ll be alright.” He said, and Alain gaped at him.

“ _Hopefully?_ ” He hissed, but Serena had returned, holding up a Pokéball. 

“I’ve got a Dedenne.” She reported, and Clemont nodded, holding his palms out for it. She released it into his cupped hands, and she cocked her head at him as she put her arm akimbo. “What’re you gonna do with her and Taffy?” The brunette asked, and Clemont gave her an awkward little grin. 

“I’m gonna try to paralyse the Mega Gyarados.” He said, and Serena nodded. “I’m just borrowing your Dedenne as a failsafe, just in case Taffy’s Discharge won’t work. When he can’t move anymore, that's the time when you hit it with a Sleep Powder.”

“Got it.” She nodded, and turned to look at her Venusaur. “On my mark, you hit him hard, got it, Venus?”

The Venusaur nodded, and the three teens turned to look at the Mega Gyarados, expressions tense. 

“I hope this works, Clemont.” Alain muttered, as the blond gave him a withering grin.

“We won’t know until we try, after all.” He gave his friends a shrug. “C’mon, Taffy!” He huffed, and he rushed forward. The Luxray hurried after him, and Serena’s eyes widened.

“Clemont!” She screamed, but Alain held her back. “Alain, lemme go! What’s he _doing?_ ”

“Something only he can do.” Alain said, but his voice was tense, making Serena hesitate. “Just… just trust him, okay?”

“I… I will.” Serena nodded, and stood back. 

Clemont squeezed his eyes shut as he made a beeline for the rampaging Pokémon, holding the Dedenne close to his heart as Taffy snuggled up against his side. 

“I’m counting on you, Dedenne, Taffy!” He gasped, and the Dedenne nodded up at him gleefully as Taffy nodded. “Aipom Arm, go!” 

His invention shot out of his bag, and attached itself to the Gyarados’s thrashing tail. He nodded to himself when he made sure it was firmly in place, and looked down at the Dedenne. “Dedenne, use Nuzzle!” He turned to his Luxray, and nodded. “Taffy, Discharge! I’ll be your ground, so go as hard as you can!”

“ _What?_ ” Serena gasped from far behind him, and Clemont couldn’t help the wry grin that crossed his face. “ _Again?_ ”

The Dedenne cooed happily, and buried its face into Clemont’s chest, sending a powerful jolt of electricity through him. The Luxray was also just as confident, draping himself over Clemont as he, too, let out a powerful burst of electricity.

Alain’s hand shot down to grab Serena’s wrist, as the brunette held onto him in shock. They watched as the blond was covered in yellow light, and it shot up through the Aipom Arm and into the Mega Gyarados. It let out a shriek that shook the very air around them, and Alain winced, shielding Serena behind him. The brunette huffed, and stepped out in front of him, thrusting her hand out at the Mega Gyarados. 

“Go, Venus! Sleep Powder!” She ordered, and the Venusaur shot forward, firing a blast of pollen at the Mega Gyarados. This time, the powder hit its mark, and the Mega Gyarados seemed to falter, dropping to the ground as the electric attack finally stopped. Serena and Alain gasped when they saw Augustine fall from the Mega Gyarados’s mouth. “ _Clemont!_ ” She screamed, and the blond jumped, looking up. 

“Dad!” He gasped, and suddenly a burst of red light shot across his field of view. Clemont’s eyes widened as he saw Blaziken Mask steal across him, catching the Professor in his arms. The blond lit up, just as Alain pulled him back away from the collapsing Mega Gyarados. 

“Mega Blaziken, the Gyarados!” The teens heard Blaziken Mask order, and the both of them heaved a sigh of relief when Vernal shot forward, catching the Mega Gyarados before it hit the ground. “Go, Alain! Get Clemont out of there!”

“Right!” Alain—oh, _screw_ his stupid strength—picked Clemont up easily, hauling him up in one arm as he darted away, Taffy in tow. The blond squeaked, but held on to Serena’s Dedenne as they ran to safety as the Mega Blaziken gently set the Mega Gyarados down on the ground. 

“Champion!” Blaziken Mask called, and turned to let the teens see the Professor in his arms, fast asleep. “Seems there’s collateral damage.”

“Jeez.” Serena couldn’t help but grin slightly as she huffed, hurrying forward to get to Clemont and Alain. She helped the blond onto his feet as they began to discuss what to do, and Alain turned at the sound of police sirens. 

He turned to see Blaziken Mask nod at him, and he nodded, too. With Alain’s consent, the masked man hurried away, his Mega Blaziken in tow as Alain shook his head tiredly. Meyer knew where the Sycamores kept the spare key to their apartment—Alain could trust the man to bring the Professor home, for now. 

Alain took a shaky breath, and looked back at the unconscious Mega Gyarados as it reverted back to its usual form, more likely due to being too far away from his partner Key Stone than losing the will to battle. Alain watched as Serena took the Gyaradosite off it with a frustrated huff, and felt emotion prickling his eyes. 

There was no way Leviathan was going to escape _this_ unscathed, he thought. He could only hope that Augustine would not take it too hard, but then again, even Alain didn’t know how deeply Lysandre was rooted in his adoptive father’s heart. If Leviathan was made to go away, he wasn’t sure Augustine would survive the separation. 

* * *

When Augustine came to, he felt like his entire body was tingling. He also felt like he was flying, and he wasn’t sure what that meant—at least, until he looked up at Meyer’s masked face. 

“Blaziken… Mask?” He asked hoarsely. 

“Augustine.” Meyer said gently, and finally settled down on a low roof. Vernal landed on the roof next to them, and reverted to his normal form, looking out around them for danger, just in case. Augustine groaned as Meyer adjusted him in his arms, allowing the Professor to rest his head on Meyer’s shoulder. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

“I… Leviathan?” Augustine blinked, and Meyer shook his head. 

“He’s being taken care of by Serena and the other children.” He replied, and Augustine sighed, going limp in Meyer’s arms in relief. “Are you alright? You’re looking a little paralysed.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Augustine winced. “Can’t move at all. I think Clemont had something to do with that.”

“Yes.” Meyer frowned. “He used himself as a ground for Taffy and a Dedenne to hit the Gyarados with paralysis.” 

Augustine’s eyes widened. “He _what?_ ”

“I’m glad he did that, so we could save you, but I’m going to have a word with him later when he gets home.” Meyer huffed. “That was _dangerous._ How in the _hell_ did he even survive that prolonged exposure to electricity? That should’ve _killed_ him.”

“I…” Augustine hesitated, and he deflated. “I don’t know either.”

Meyer shook his head exasperatedly, and headed to a rickety fire escape, his Blaziken in tow. Augustine recognised the rusted black metal staircase, and he realised they were at his and Alain’s apartment building. 

“Oh, you… you took me home.” Augustine said, as Meyer headed to Augustine’s floor. 

“Yeah. I’ve already let Alain know.” Meyer said, and let himself and his Blaziken into the Sycamores’ apartment. “There we go.”

“Oh, Arceus, I’m sorry about the state of the place.” Augustine sighed, but Meyer gave him an easy shrug. Behind them, Vernal shut the door, and helped himself onto the beat-up couch, lying down with a contented sigh. “Looks like Vernal’s tired.”

“He _did_ carry a Mega Gyarados.” Meyer huffed fondly. “Take a rest here, Vernal. We’re staying until Augustine feels better.”

The Blaziken let out a little sound of affirmation, snuggling against one of Apollon’s favourite pillows and quickly fell asleep. Augustine smiled at that, as Meyer took him to his room, gently setting him down on his bed. 

“Oh, no. The linens.” Augustine said, as Meyer laughed, shrugging his costume off. “ _Nooo._ Outside clothes on the bed. Alain and I just changed the sheets.”

“It’s an emergency.” Meyer replied, and pulled up a chair next to Augustine’s bed. The scientist looked up at him, and gave him a little grin. 

“You’re not lying down with me?” He asked, and Meyer gave him a grin. 

“Not unless you want bearing lubrication on the bed.” He replied, and Augustine’s nose scrunched up. The man burst out laughing, as Augustine smiled slowly. “You said you liked the scent of motor oil!”

“I _meant_ I liked the scent of you.” Augustine huffed, and Meyer gave him a grin. The scientist smiled, and lifted his hand to look at Lysandre’s Mega Ring. He sobered up, and Meyer lit up. 

“Oh, are you feeling better already?”

“Slowly getting the feeling back.” Augustine said, and watched the way Lysandre’s Key Stone glimmered dully in the dim light. “But… I’ve been trying to get rid of some.”

“Hm?” Meyer hummed, and he took Augustine’s hand, inspecting the Mega Ring on his thumb. “Oh, wasn’t this… that Lysandre man, was it?”

“Yes. I’m sure you’ve met him.”

“Yeah.” Meyer nodded, gently thumbing at the Mega Ring. “He’d drop by sometimes at your lab while you were out, you know. I’d catch him hanging around while I worked on your equipment.”

“Really?” Augustine blinked. 

“He’d leave you nice little things when he just missed you. Galettes, crepes, hell, a thermos of coffee he’d brewed himself.” Meyer chuckled. “I could tell he loved you very much.” He said, and gave Augustine a kind smile. “And back then, I could tell you loved him, too.”

“Meyer, I…” Augustine sat up, wide eyed, and Meyer’s smile was as kind as ever. “Don’t get me wrong, I—I do love you, I—”

Meyer cut him off with a kiss, leaning forward to gently press their lips together, and Augustine sighed, leaning into their kiss. Meyer cupped his cheek in his hand, and pulled away, thumbing at Augustine’s cheekbone. 

“I know.” He said, and Augustine felt his cheeks burn with shame. “It never really goes away, Augustine. When you truly love someone, they will always have some hold over your heart.”

“I…” Augustine blinked at him. “Meyer.”

“Don’t forget, I’m a widower.” The man laughed softly. “Of course I still love my wife. But she’s gone now, and I love you.” He squeezed Augustine’s hand. “And that’s what matters.”

Augustine felt his eyes prickle. 

“Meyer,” he said shakily. “I still miss him.”

“I know.” Meyer said, nodding. 

Augustine felt hot tears roll down his cheeks. 

“Despite everything, _I miss him._ ” His voice began to crack at the edges, and Meyer pulled him into a hug. 

“It’s okay.” He pressed a kiss to Augustine’s hair.

“I don’t—I don’t know why I cling to him, still.” Augustine sobbed. “I have you, and—and the children, and Athenais, the lab—”

“You were in love, Augustine.” Meyer said, hugging him tighter. “It’s the hardest thing to let go of, and it’s the strongest thing on earth.” Augustine hiccupped softly, as Meyer rubbed his back. “Stronger than Arceus, even.”

“That’s probably blasphemy.” Augustine said gingerly, but he was beginning to smile somewhat. 

“Details.” Meyer scoffed, as he pulled away from Augustine to wipe moisture from his cheeks. “If you’re worried about me, don’t be. I’m just happy that you’re here, and you love me, too. That’s all I ask.”

Augustine felt his heart _soar,_ and he thought of what Clemont had called him before. 

_Dad._

Spending a lifetime with a man like Meyer… sounded _wonderful._

“If you asked for more, I wouldn’t say no.” Augustine murmured, and Meyer blinked at him. He gave the man a sheepish little smile, and Meyer turned red. 

“I, uh, well…” Meyer looked at the door behind them, and then at Augustine. “Are you sure?”

Augustine blinked, and realised the implication of his words. 

Oh. 

Well. 

“Yeah.” Augustine nodded, and his own cheeks turned red as well. “It’s… been a while, hasn’t it?”

“I…” Meyer laughed nervously. “Okay.”

Meyer got up, and shut the door, locking it. 

Augustine will just have to try again next time. 

Asking for Meyer’s proposal, and to say goodbye to Lysandre. 

* * *

_While it is entirely possible to cease the Mega Evolution and force the reversal of the Pokémon to its original form, irreparable damage to both the physical and mental health of the Pokémon poses a great risk._

* * *

“Yes. Yes, I understand.” Augustine said hollowly, and Officer Jenny gave him a pitying look as she sat down across him with a tired sigh. 

“As his legal trainer, Professor, I’m obligated by the law to let you know about it.” She said, “There will be no repercussions against you about what happened that day, but—”

“ _None?_ ” Augustine hissed, shooting up onto his feet. “It was _my fault_ that Leviathan was in so much pain. It’s _my fault_ he escaped the lab, _my fault_ he hurt people! He was inexperienced with Mega Evolving, the Mega Energy was too much for him and he was in a poor mental state, and yet I _still_ pushed with this! It’s _my fault, I_ deserve to be punished, not Leviathan!”

“Professor, please.” Officer Jenny said gently, “I understand how you feel, but the law is the law. We prioritise human lives over Pokémon lives, and the damages and injuries the Gyarados caused was too much.” She sighed, “He _took you,_ too.” 

“I’m _fine._ ” Augustine snarled, “He was protecting me, not holding me hostage.”

“Unfortunately, the grand jury was not convinced otherwise.” She replied. “There’s a court order to have the Gyarados nicknamed Leviathan euthanised because of causing grievous bodily harm to multiple individuals, and gross destruction of both private and public property.” 

Augustine deflated, and he felt his eyes well with tears as he dropped back down in his seat. 

“I don’t want Leviathan to die because of me.” He said hoarsely, and Officer Jenny looked at him sympathetically. “There has—there _has_ to be a way.” He buried his face in his hands, and the young woman took a shaky breath.

“Okay, I’ll try to see what we can do.” She said, and Augustine looked up at her, eyes wide with hope. “This can still be appealed in court, if you can prove that Leviathan _can_ be reformed. I have no idea how that’ll work, though…”

“I—I’ll find a way.” Augustine said, grabbing hold of her hands, “Please, Officer Jenny, please help me buy some time.”

“I’ll… do my best.” She gave him a little smile, and he finally smiled back at her. “I don’t want Leviathan to die, either.” Officer Jenny squeezed his hands back, her eyes fierce.

“Let’s do our best.” Augustine agreed, and they shook their joined hands.

* * *

“ _Calming a traumatised Gyarados, huh…_ ” Steven Stone was probably the last person Augustine should be asking about a Gyarados, but he was desperate. It was approaching dawn in Kalos when Augustine called him, and it seemed like Hoenn was just about to finish the business day. They had been talking about the information they had taken from Team Flare’s base regarding the megalith, but Augustine couldn’t keep himself from asking Steven about it. “ _Hm. Could you give me a minute?_ ”

“O-of course.” Augustine nodded, and he sat back in his seat with a sigh as Steven put him on hold. He jumped when he heard the window open, and he turned to see Blaziken Mask step into his office, sighing tiredly. “Meyer.” He smiled, and the man gave him a kind smile, pulling his mask off as his Mega Blaziken slipped into the office after his trainer, gently shutting the window and the blinds behind him before he reverted back into his normal form.

“Augustine.” Meyer smiled, and jumped when he saw the holographic screen in front of Augustine. “Oh, sorry, did I interrupt something?”

“No.” Augustine broke off into a yawn, and the other man smiled fondly as he strode forward, pulling him into a one-armed hug. “Oh, don’t do that, Meyer, I’m going to fall asleep.”

“I was just about to ask that, actually.” Meyer said, but continued to stroke Augustine’s head, lulling him closer to sleep. “It’s almost 4 in the morning, and you sent Alain over to our place for a sleepover so you could burn the midnight oil here?”

“I had… _hmm._ ” Augustine hummed happily, snuggling into Meyer’s warm hands, and the man laughed softly. “I had a meeting… with Steven… Stone.”

“Oh, the man with the Mega Metagross.” Meyer hummed. “Should be about…” He checked the system clock on Augustine’s computer terminal. “5 PM in Hoenn.” He sighed happily, shaking his head. “Oh, I miss Hoenn. After the Legendary Lockdown, why don’t we go there?”

“Really?” Augustine lit up, and Meyer nodded. 

“I’ll take you to my hometown, show you around.” Meyer said, “I’m sure the kids can take care of themselves while we’re out.”

“That sounds wonderful.” Augustine sighed happily, leaning against Meyer’s side, but the two men suddenly jumped when the call buzzed to life. Meyer quickly darted away from Augustine, who gave him a petulant pout, but the man gave him a sunny grin, dropping himself onto a nearby couch next to his napping Blaziken as Augustine turned his attention back to the call. Steven’s smiling face came back into view, and Augustine blinked in surprise when another face came into view. “Oh… hello.”

“ _Hello._ ” The man greeted, and looked at Steven pointedly. 

“ _O-oh, right._ ” Steven laughed, “ _This is my husband, Wallace. He’s the Water-type Gym Leader here in Hoenn._ ”

“Oh!” Augustine jumped. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He said, and across him, he spotted Meyer raising an eyebrow, though he was grinning bemusedly. 

“ _I brought him over to see if he has any insights about calming a Gyarados. He has one too, you see._ ” Steven explained, and Wallace nodded.

“ _For my Gyarados, especially during the earlier months of his evolution, he very much needed some guidance. The evolution from a Magikarp to Gyarados is very traumatic, you see, so Trainers that raised their Gyarados from its pre-evolved form are often asked to take extra care of their partners._ ” Wallace explained, “ _In our case, I found that giving my Gyarados a Milotic companion helped quell its anger._ ”

Augustine’s eyes widened. “Milotic. Oh, of course.”

“ _Yes._ ” Wallace chuckled, but his expression quickly turned serious. “ _However, still do be very careful. Gyarados are known to prey on anything, and the Milotic may be in danger as well._ ”

“I… I see.” Augustine frowned. 

“ _I’m very sorry to hear about your Gyarados, though._ ” Wallace said sympathetically. “ _If there’s anything I can help you with, I am very happy to oblige._ ”

Augustine blinked at the man, who gave him a supportive little smile. Steven chuckled into his hand, shaking his head fondly.

“ _That’s his roundabout way of volunteering to help with your studies on Mega Evolution._ ” Steven said, earning him a light smack on the side from his husband. “ _He’s seen me use Mega Evolution, and would like to try it himself. I know you’re currently working on a study about the use of Mega Evolution, so my husband and I would like to help out._ ”

“Oh!” Augustine lit up. “Yes, that’d be—that’d be fantastic, thank you!”

“ _I’m sure interregional deliveries should be up and running by now._ ” Steven nodded. “ _We can Mega Evolve our Pokémon here and get samples for you. Just please let us know what to do._ ”

“Why—yes, of course!” Augustine nodded. “I’ll send over a Gyaradosite and a Key Stone, for Leader Wallace. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to oversee your battle—remotely, of course.”

“ _No problem._ ” Steven nodded. “ _I’ll shoulder the delivery fee, don’t worry._ ” He laughed sheepishly. “ _After all, this is for us, too._ ”

“Thank you so much.” Augustine nodded. “Let’s discuss the details some more at another time.”

“ _Of course._ ” Steven nodded. “ _Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?_ ”

“No, thank you.” Augustine shook his head.

“ _Steven, let the man sleep._ ” Wallace said, “ _I believe it’s almost dawn in Kalos._ ”

“ _Oh, that’s right!_ ” Steven jumped. “ _I’m very sorry, Professor! I’ll see you again at a more reasonable time._ ”

“Thank you.” Augustine laughed sheepishly. “Until next time, Mr. Stone.”

“ _Until next time._ ” Steven replied with a little wave, and the call cut. Augustine looked at Meyer, who gave him a wide grin. 

“We can save Leviathan’s life.” He said breathily, and Meyer nodded, getting up to head to Augustine and hold his hands. “We can—he won’t be put down.”

“We have to make sure of that first.” Meyer said gently. “Do you know where we can get a therapy Milotic, though?” He jumped when Augustine yawned, and Meyer shook his head fondly. “Or where you can catch some sleep, first?”

“No, I want to find a Milotic, and quickly.” Augustine said, shakily getting up. “Leviathan’s running out of time.”

“Leviathan can afford a few more hours of you getting rest.” Meyer said gently, catching when Augustine stumbled into his arms. “You’re more helpful to him fully rested than you running yourself ragged.”

“You’re… right.” Augustine sighed, and felt Meyer lift him in his arms. “You… you seem to do this more frequently these days.” He laughed headily, as Meyer began to head to the in-house apartment inside the Sycamore Laboratory for anyone doing overnight experimentation. 

“And whose doing do you think that is?” Meyer chuckled, and Augustine hummed sleepily, snuggling into Meyer’s warmth. “Get some sleep, Augustine. I’ll let the children know where you’ve been, and we’ll ask Serena if she knows anyone who has a Milotic.”

“Thanks, Meyer…” Augustine mumbled, and promptly fell asleep. Meyer shook his head fondly, and set Augustine down in the bed of the apartment, looking out the window at Prism Tower, sparkling a gorgeous ruby light in the rising sun. 

Red, like Lysandre had been, he thought. In the years he’d been working alongside Augustine in the Sycamore Research Laboratory, repairing the equipment when they broke, Meyer had never thought he ever stood a chance against that man. Lysandre had been everything Meyer wasn’t—youthful, passionate and fierce, rich and powerful. Charismatic to a fault, and blessed with a brilliant mind and with a seemingly hopeful vision of the future. 

The man had a long history with Augustine, too. Meyer had heard the two men knew each other even when Augustine was a doctorate student, and Lysandre was finishing his own graduate degree in L’École, the most prestigious school in all of Kalos. Meyer knew how much of Augustine’s life had Lysandre in it, intertwined deep into the very foundation of Augustine’s passion, and for a very long time, Meyer thought that that was it. 

For a long time, Meyer was content with watching from the outside in, watching the beautiful Professor Augustine Sycamore in love, pursuing the passion that drove his career. Falling in love with Augustine was easy—hell, _Lumiose_ loved him, and probably the entirety of Kalos, and Meyer was no exception. Meyer, after all, was in a league far different than Lysandre had been—he was an immigrant from Hoenn, a single father with two brilliant children that only took after their mother, all things considered. It took him _years_ to learn Kalosian, and only through the patient instruction of his late wife, who died giving birth to Bonnie, and suddenly Meyer was alone in a land far from home.

He had been hesitant to return to Hoenn—he’d promised his parents he’d find his fortune in Kalos, and he knew his children would _thrive_ in a brilliant, sparkling city like Lumiose. So, he kept to it, worked hard on his electronics shop and his mechanic services with his late wife’s Ampharos and his Blaziken, who held the few memories of Hoenn he had left. There was little time to fall in love, at least until Clemont became Gym Leader of Lumiose at the tender age of 11, the youngest in the history of Kalos.

Suddenly the burden of supporting his family was much lighter, and Meyer realised that it was time to move on, as well. 

And that was when he fell in love.

He smiled to himself, shaking his head as Lumiose woke up beyond him. 

“Who’d have thought, huh.” He murmured, and thought of the eight glittering Hoenn League Gym Badges tucked away in their case back at home, next to Brandy’s Ampharosite. “We’ve come really far, haven’t we?”

* * *

“Are you alright with us borrowing her for the time being?” Augustine asked worriedly, peering at the beautiful creature happily swimming in elegant circles in the pool next to them. “She’ll be in a lot of danger.”

“Professor, I take great pride in the way I have raised my Pokémon.” Siebold said, pressing his hand to his heart and giving the man a bow. “Salacia is a strong girl. I have the utmost faith in her, and I know she is able to defend herself, if necessary.”

“I see.” Augustine frowned. “Well, I’d still like for you to be aware that there is a possibility that Salacia may get injured. She may even be at risk of limb loss.”

“I am aware.” Siebold nodded. “But I would not call myself a Water-type user if I were to simply allow such a magnificent creature to die.” The blond gave Augustine a little smile. “In fact, I am in awe of you, Professor, for fighting so hard to save that Gyarados’s life, despite everything.” 

Augustine felt his eyes well with tears as Siebold nodded. 

“I am hoping earnestly for its speedy recovery.” He said, “And that its life will be saved.”

“I—I’ll try my best.” Augustine nodded, and Siebold held his hand out for him to shake. “Thank you so much, Siebold. Truly.” 

They shook hands, and the blond nodded. 

“You know where to find me.” He said, “I hope to hear good news.”

* * *

**DISCUSSION**

_According to previous studies, Mega Energy has been determined to be the type of power that is the known stimulus of Mega Evolution. The current outstanding theory on the mechanism of Mega Evolution states that Mega Energy propels the progression of life by activating and promoting developmental factors, resulting in rapid metamorphosis._

* * *

Unfortunately, the news was anything but good. 

Augustine hardly remembered much of that day, but he remembered wishing that Siebold was there, if it was just so that he wouldn’t have to wait those excruciating few hours outside the Boulevard Sud Pokémon Centre, waiting for the chef to complete his shift at the restaurant. 

That day, Augustine had only Clemont and Alain with him to help watch over the proceedings. Officer Jenny and the Nurse Joy of the Boulevard Sud Pokémon Centre were watching on standby, while Clemont was ready with his Heliolisk and Luxray, and Alain was sitting on the back of his Metagross as it hovered above the pool where Leviathan and Salacia were to interact. Clemont had Salacia’s Pokéball in his hand, while Augustine had Leviathan’s, and they met each other’s gazes across the large pool that was installed in the Pokémon Sanctuary of the lab. The pool had a clear divider in the middle, separating the two sides Clemont and Augustine stood at, and the divider was attached to Alain’s Metagross, where it could be lifted. 

“You ready, Professor?” Clemont called, and the man nodded. “Okay, I’ll let Salacia out first.”

He tossed the Pokéball gently, releasing the Milotic into the water. She let out a song-like coo as she made a few laps around her side of the pool, and Clemont smiled at her. 

“Over here, please.” He said, and the Milotic obediently made her way to him, snuggling into his hand when he reached out to pet her. “Good girl.”

“Right, it’s our turn.” Augustine said shakily, and squeezed Leviathan’s ball in his hand. “Leviathan, this is for your sake.” He murmured, and gently released the Gyarados into the water. Leviathan let out a roar into the air, rattling the walls of the pool, and Alain hissed, holding his breath as he clung onto his Metagross. 

“Keep it together, Cobalt.” He said, patting its head, and the Metagross hummed, closing its eyes as psychic energy made the walls of the pool glow. They stayed firmly in place, even as Leviathan slammed himself against the walls, and Augustine hissed, getting down to grip the edges of the platform he was standing on. 

“Clemont, be careful not to fall in!” He called, and the blond nodded, holding onto his own railing. 

“Salacia, please calm him!” Clemont said, and the Milotic nodded, swimming over to the barrier between her and the thrashing Gyarados. She sang out a crystal-clear beautiful song that instantly soothed Augustine’s heart, and he smiled softly as he felt the sweet, serene _calm_ wash over him. 

Oh, this was potent. This should help Leviathan, he thought.

It _had_ to, for his sake. 

The Gyarados hesitated, and they all held their breaths as he slowly began to relax, his eyes growing droopy as he finally let out a relieved sigh. He sank down under the water, and Officer Jenny felt her eyes prickle at the sight of the Gyarados curling up into a comfortable ball at the bottom of the pool. 

“Oh, it’s…” Beside Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy breathed, pressing her hands to her mouth in awe. “Oh, it’s _happy._ ”

“Yes,” Augustine gasped, looking down at the water where Leviathan was curled up, and he could _feel_ the rumbling purr he was making. “Oh, Leviathan.”

“It’s working!” Clemont grinned at Augustine, who nodded excitedly. 

“Alain, could you and Cobalt please lift the barrier?” he asked, but Alain looked down at the Gyarados, frowning. “Alain?”

“I have a bad feeling about this, Dad.” he said, and Augustine’s eyes widened. “I don’t know if we should do that.”

The Milotic stopped singing, and she cocked her head at Alain. The moment the song stopped, Leviathan jerked awake, and his head shot up. He looked at his surroundings, and Nurse Joy’s eyes widened at the rising panic in the Gyarados’s eyes. 

“Oh, no!” She gasped, “Professor, look out!” 

“What—”

Leviathan shot up out of the water, and Augustine threw his hands up in front of his head to protect himself—when nothing came. Augustine blinked, straightening up—

When the horrifying sound of the barrier shattering, and the scream of Siebold’s Milotic cut through the air. Augustine saw the water turn red, and he felt bile crawl up his throat as the pool began to fall apart.

He could only process Alain’s panicked scream of “ _Cobalt, Psychic!_ ”, as Wallace’s words came to his mind.

_Gyarados are known to prey on anything, and the Milotic may be in danger as well._

_Oh, Lysandre,_ he thought to himself. _I’m so, so sorry._

* * *

“ _Sacrebleu._ ” Was all Siebold could say when he saw Augustine, Clemont and Alain huddled together outside the emergency room. He still had a ratatouille sauce stain on his apron, Augustine noted, as he ran over to them. 

“You can say that again.” Alain muttered, and Clemont shot him a dry look. The older teen’s cheeks pinked, and he looked away. “Sorry.”

“Mr. Siebold, I’m glad you’re here.” Clemont said, and he stood up, offering the man his hand to shake. “I’m Clemont, Lumiose Gym Leader. I’m sorry it had to be like this, but the Professor told me that you were aware of the risk posed by bringing Salacia close to Leviathan.”

“Yes, I am.” Siebold replied as he shook Clemont’s hand, pressing his other hand to his heart as he took a deep breath. “Please tell me she is _at least_ alive.”

“Yes, she is.” Clemont nodded. “I managed to put her into her Pokéball before too much damage could happen.” He held out a Pokéball to the man gingerly. “Um, here it is.”

“Thank you.” Siebold sighed, taking the Pokéball back from him. He looked at it sadly, and shook his head. “And how about the Gyarados?”

Clemont’s expression tightened, and Alain looked at his adoptive father, who had not said a word ever since Salacia was rushed to the Pokémon Centre. The teen sighed sadly, and held Augustine’s hand, squeezing it gently.

“Officer Jenny took him away.” Alain said, and Siebold looked at him. “He’s… currently in custody for grave physical damage dealt in a non-combative situation.”

“I… see.” Siebold’s expression fell, and Clemont gestured for him to take a seat where he had been sitting. “Oh, thank you.” He nodded, and dropped himself down next to Augustine with a sigh. “Professor?” The blond asked gently, and Augustine finally lifted his head from where it was cradled in his hands. Siebold gave him a strained little smile. “By Arceus’s mercy, I am so, so sorry.” He said sincerely. 

“Thank you, Siebold.” Augustine said softly, “I… am very sorry, too. For Salacia, and Leviathan, both.”

They fell silent, sullen and heavy with grief, as the two teens shared uncomfortable looks. Luckily, they were saved by the operating room’s light turning green, and the familiar chime of the Pokémon Centre rang through the air as Nurse Joy stepped out, looking exhausted, but relieved. 

Siebold shot to his feet, his expression tense as he approached her, and she held his hands gently, giving him a smile. 

“Monsieur, your Milotic is fine.” She said, and Siebold let out a sigh of relief, his perfect posture slumping as tension rushed out of him, but the moment was short-lived, when Nurse Joy’s expression fell. “However, she had to lose two tail fins. She can do without them, but I don’t know if she was a performer…”

“She is not.” Siebold said, shaking his head. “Salacia will be alright, with or without two fins.”

“I can make her a prosthetic,” Clemont said, and Siebold looked at him, eyes wide. “I… please give me her measurements, Nurse Joy. I’ll get to work on it right away.”

Siebold’s eyes were soft on the teen as he nodded in determination. “Thank you, Leader Clemont.”

“Least I could do.” Clemont nodded, and peered at Augustine, who seemed to finally smile somewhat. “It would give the Professor some peace of mind, at least.”

“Yes.” Siebold nodded, and gave Augustine an encouraging nod. “You have a wonderful protege, Professor. I’m grateful for his support of you.” Clemont flushed at that, and Alain gave the blond a knowing smirk.

“I… thank you.” Augustine said dazedly, and Siebold strode over to him, squeezing his wrist. 

“Again, I am truly very sorry this has happened to him.” The blond said, “I would just like you to know that these circumstances are difficult, and while you may not believe it, I believe with all my heart that this was not your fault, Professor Sycamore.”

“Isn’t it.” Augustine mumbled, and Siebold nodded. 

“None of us asked for this.” He said, and turned to Nurse Joy. “Please charge all costs of the surgery to me.”

“Wait,” Augustine’s eyes widened, and he shot up to his feet, surprising Alain, who blinked up at his father in alarm. “Siebold, you can’t—”

“This is my contribution to your endeavours, Professor.” Siebold said, and gave him a slight bow. “Please, continue to improve the lives of other Pokémon, for our sake: for me, for Salacia, and even Leviathan.”

Augustine’s shoulders slumped, as Siebold met his gaze, grounding him with his calmness.

“Live on, for the Gyarados that will likely not be as lucky.”

* * *

The last time Meyer sorted out resources for a Pokémon funeral was for his grandfather’s Blaziken, who had lived a long, happy life until the last year of Meyer’s college education. Back then, it had been a moment of celebration—of remembering a wonderful, full life with a beloved Pokémon, who finally was laid to rest after working hard and thriving for so many years. The Blaziken had been named Yuzu, and after Meyer’s family had said their goodbyes, passed away in peaceful sleep with his trainer’s hand in his claw. 

Meyer still remembered the short wake, and the funeral, complete with old Hoenn rights for his deeply religious grandparents. The entire affair, however, was not as painful. No shards pierced his heart with each breath as he thought of Yuzu’s funeral, and only happy memories remained—of a loving, warm Blaziken that inspired his own Vernal, who watched over Lumiose with him as its citizens slept. 

Losing Yuzu felt like saying goodnight to an old friend. 

Losing Leviathan—well, Meyer would never know what Augustine was truly feeling. Considering that Leviathan had loved Augustine enough to be able to Mega Evolve, Meyer knew that Augustine, at some point, had loved the Gyarados as much as Lysandre had. 

“He’s definitely seen some Pokémon die before,” Alain had said, one evening when the teen was sent to Meyer’s household for yet another sleepover while Augustine stayed in his lab for overtime work. “But it’s never been one he’s close to.”

This, then, would be Augustine’s first real Pokémon death, and it happened so quickly after his first real loss, as well.

It was never easy to watch a Pokémon pass away, but Meyer stood beside Augustine in the hospital room, holding his hand through the whole thing as Augustine tearfully said his goodbyes to a sleeping Leviathan, never to wake again. It wasn’t easy, but Meyer held Augustine through it, and he felt his own heart shatter, shards digging into his lungs with every laboured breath as he felt his own eyes prickling with emotion. By the end of it, Augustine seemed to run out of tears as he and Meyer sat in the back of a taxi, making their way back to the Sycamores’ apartment. Neither of them said a word, Augustine still shell-shocked, while Meyer was simply there to hold him, grounding him with a warm, firm hand around his. 

They stumbled into the apartment with a dazed haze about their heads, but Meyer had enough presence of mind to go through the notions of preparing tea. After he manoeuvred Augustine to the couch, handing him a pillow to hold in place of his hand, he headed to the kitchen, where he began to fill up a kettle with water.

“Meyer,” Augustine said, after a long moment of contented silence, and Meyer hummed, turning around to begin boiling water. “Leviathan’s gone.”

“Yeah.” Meyer said, and watched Augustine lie down on his side on the couch, staring at him, though his gaze was not truly focused on him. 

“He’s… the doctor said… he was suffering.”

Meyer hummed in acknowledgement, reaching up to the cupboards where he knew Augustine and Alain kept the tea. He picked out a packet of chamomile, and went on to look for a teapot. 

“He’d been… suffering, because of trauma. That was why he was lashing out.” Augustine said, “And somehow… I completely missed that.”

“Augustine,” Meyer said, “You knew he was in pain. You did everything you could for him.”

“If I did everything I could, why isn’t he alive now?” Augustine’s voice was barely a whisper, and Meyer sighed, shaking his head as the kettle began to whistle. 

“Not everything is in your hands.” Meyer said, and turned off the stove, pouring the hot water into the teapot. “Despite everything, life sometimes just isn’t fair.”

“But I…” Augustine began, but Meyer shook his head, bringing the teapot to the coffee table in front of the couch, and he set down two mugs next to it. 

“You did what you could to help him, and when that didn’t work, the next most merciful thing was to end his suffering.” Meyer said, and gently picked Augustine up to sit on the couch. He rested Augustine’s head on his lap, and stroked the other man’s curls. “You know as well as I do that it would be more cruel to have him endure a life he can’t live. You couldn’t just keep him in his Pokéball forever, either.”

“No.” Augustine breathed. “That would… that would be cruel.”

“Yeah.” Meyer sighed. “What else do we do, then?” 

“I… don’t know.” Augustine rolled over so that he was looking up at Meyer, and the other man smiled down at him. “Meyer, this… this is the first time this has ever happened to me.”

“I know.” Meyer said, gently cupping his cheek in his hand. “That’s why I’m here, so you can cry it out as much as you can now. Heal up at your own pace. I’ve got you.”

Augustine’s red, puffy eyes welled up with tears again. 

“I love you.” He said shakily, and Meyer smiled down at him. 

“Me too.” He replied. “Don’t think of this as Leviathan’s punishment, Augustine. He isn’t being punished for anything—no Pokémon is inherently evil, it’s their circumstances that cause them to lash out, and hurt others. He didn’t mean it, and I know everyone knew that.”

Tears rolled down Augustine’s cheeks, and he nodded. 

“This is mercy,” He said softly, “This is… letting go.”

Augustine shut his eyes, as he thought of Lysandre. 

“Letting go.” He said, and thought of Leviathan, and the red marble gravestone Augustine and Meyer picked out together, marked with the Gyarados’s name in the gold of Lysandre’s gilded world. 

Death was so difficult to accept, and yet death brought new beginnings. 

The death of his affections for the man who once thought he could rule the world. 

It was time to move on, Augustine thought. Move on, and live anew.

“Meyer,” Augustine murmured, and the man hummed softly. “I think… it’s time I let Lysandre go, too.” 

“Oh?” Meyer hummed, and Augustine laughed sadly, wiping at his eyes. 

“He’s gone. Life goes on. I love you. I could spend a lifetime with you.” He said, “I… live on.”

Meyer smiled gently, and nodded as Augustine sat up. The scientist held his hand, and met his gaze. 

“For Leviathan’s sake.” Augustine breathed. “I… have to keep going.”

“For Lysandre’s sake, too.” Meyer said, and Augustine blinked at him. “He wanted a beautiful world, didn’t he? You have the power to make the world beautiful, too. Better for everyone.”

“For _us,_ too.” Augustine murmured, and Meyer’s eyes widened. “For the lifetime we’ll share.”

“Yeah.” He said, and squeezed Augustine’s hands. “May I kiss you?”

“Yes,” Augustine shut his eyes, and felt himself _breathe_ for the first time in what felt like _years._ “I… I would really like that.”

* * *

_In this study, it was found that the_ megafactor _gene, among others, was active only during Mega Evolution. In DNA samples obtained before Mega Evolution, the_ megafactor _gene showed little to no expression, but in samples obtained during Mega Evolution, the_ megafactor _expression showed a five-fold change in expression level. After the process of Mega Evolution, the_ megafactor _expression returns to the baseline established prior to the event, indicating that_ megafactor _is only expressed while under the stress of Mega Evolution._

* * *

“The megafactor, huh…” Alain hummed, leaning back in his seat as Clemont peered at the screen, squinting in thought. “Yeah, I see it. I understand the mechanism.”

“I’m… a little lost.” Clemont admitted, “Biology was never my strongest suit.”

“That’s quite alright.” Augustine laughed fondly, patting Clemont’s shoulder. “I’m just thinking out loud with Alain, after all. I hope you don’t mind playing soundboard?”

“No, it’s okay.” Clemont shook his head, “At least I’m not soaking up the power or whatever.”

Alain snorted. “Dad, you won’t _believe_ the earful Clemont got from Mr. Meyer about his Discharge trick a few months back.” 

Clemont spluttered, and kicked at Alain’s chair. The older teen smirked, and began to kick back at him.

“Boys—” Augustine began, but he held himself back, watching the teens bicker, though they had grins on their lips. The scientist blinked in wonder, and realised that Clemont and Alain were already very close—almost like brothers, come to think of it. Bonnie had taken to Alain very well, too, dragging him along through the shopping districts of Lumiose with Alain, flustered and out of his element, unable to say no. 

Like a perfect, chaotic trio of siblings. 

The only thing missing were the parents.

“Professor?” Clemont asked, and Augustine snapped out of his daze, blinking at the boys. “You okay?”

“Y-yes.” Augustine smiled, feeling _joy_ swell in his heart at the sight of Alain’s happy grin at him. “I’m… never better.”

* * *

“Professor, Professor!” Sophie’s delighted voice greeted Augustine and Alain as they walked into the lab, and Augustine laughed fondly, watching as the young woman hurried towards him, sheer _delight_ in her eyes. 

“Oh, Sophie! Good morning.” Augustine greeted, as Alain shut the door behind them. “What’s the good news? You have stars in your eyes!”

“Oh, Professor, it’s wonderful!” She cooed, “The manuscript’s been approved for publishing by the journal!” Augustine’s eyes widened, his jaw dropping as Sophie grabbed his hands. “The first publication during lockdown, and it’s ours! Professor, you’ve made history!”

Alain lit up, and he held Augustine’s hand. 

“Dad, you did it!” He cheered, and Augustine laughed incredulously, running his hand through his hair. 

“I… wow, that’s amazing.” He breathed. “Thank you so much for letting me know, Sophie.”

Sophie beamed at him. “You’re just in time, too. Lockdown is almost over.”

That was true—Lumiose’s wounds have almost completely healed now, and Clemont was spending less and less time at the research lab. Now that the investigation and repairs in Prism Tower were done, Clemont didn’t have much reason to stay, back to his busy duty as Gym Leader of Lumiose City. Augustine found himself missing the blond, and he could tell Alain missed him, too—no more teen his age to bicker with during experiments. 

_He didn’t have to miss Clemont,_ he thought, _if they all lived in the same household._

Augustine laughed softly, feeling his cheeks grow warm as he nodded. 

“We should have that parade again, then.” He said, and Alain nodded. “To celebrate Lumiose reopening. I’m sure lighting Prism Tower again would be marvellous to see.”

“That sounds wonderful!” Sophie nodded. “Should I get in contact with the Mayor’s office again, Professor?”

“Yes, please.” Augustine replied, and Sophie hurried away. He turned to Alain, cocking his head. “Could you try contacting Serena, as well? I’m sure she’d love to join us again.”

“Right.” Alain replied, “I’ll head out to the League. I’m sure she’s got nothing better to do.”

“Thank you.” Augustine smiled, and Alain hurried out of the lab, Apollon’s Pokéball in his hand. He watched him go, sighing happily as he heard the teen deploy his Charizard, and Augustine shook his head as he shut the door as Alain took off into the sky. 

It had been a few months since Leviathan passed away. It was nothing short of a miracle that Augustine hadn’t broken down when he watched the Stone husbands battle—seeing Leader Wallace’s Gyarados, Caesar, Mega Evolve using Lysandre’s Mega Ring and Leviathan’s Mega Stone was painful, but then again, Caesar was markedly different from Leviathan. Caesar was blue, and well-adjusted. Dearly beloved by his trainer, and filled with joy and contentment. 

Augustine wished of the same for Leviathan, but that chance was long gone. 

A knock came at the door at around noon, and Augustine had happened to pass by the front door when it happened. He opened the door to see a courier, holding a familiar blue briefcase. 

“Delivery for Dr. Augustine Sycamore?” He said, and Augustine nodded. The man handed him the briefcase, and held up a clipboard. “From the Devon Corporation, sir. Please sign here.”

“Oh!” Augustine finally realised what the package was, and quickly signed the paper. The courier gave him a mock salute, and strode away as Augustine looked down at his package. “This is…” he sat down at the foot of the staircase in the lobby, and opened the briefcase. 

Inevitably, Lysandre’s Mega Ring and Leviathan’s Mega Stone came back to him. There was a handwritten letter included with the stones, sealed with blue wax that bore the Devon Corporation’s logo. 

Augustine opened the envelope, and unfurled a letter written in beautiful, neat handwriting. 

_Professor Sycamore—_

_My profound thanks for the opportunity you gave my husband for letting us use this pair of stones. The moment I saw the Mega Ring, I knew whom it belonged to, and though it’s not my place to say this, I would like to extend to you my sincerest condolences for your losses. I had been privy to some data extracted from Mr. Lysandre’s Holocaster, provided to me by Interpol, and I learned that you were very close to him. While the man has done truly unforgivable things, I empathise with the pain you must have felt—Mr. Lysandre loved you deeply, and I can only think that you loved him, as well._

Augustine jumped when he saw a teardrop on the paper. He hadn’t realised he started crying again. 

_This is why I am writing, as I return this likely very precious pair of stones to you. If in the chance that in the future, you are able to find the strength to part with these, I humbly ask that you send them my way._

Augustine looked at Leviathan’s Gyaradosite, at the harness it was still mounted on, and thought of the Pokémon that would never wear it again. 

He shook his head, and turned back to the letter. 

_I have seen the sheer joy in Wallace’s eyes as his bond with Caesar was given form. I want to see it again, for however many times I can. I hope you understand my feelings._

“Oh, Steven…” Augustine smiled, laughing sadly. 

_Perhaps Leviathan’s memory of pain can be reformed into joy, someday, if you consent to it. I hope for your continued happiness, and for the lasting peace of Kalos, as well._

_Steven Stone_

Augustine closed the letter, sighing deeply as he looked at Leviathan’s Gyaradosite. He thought of the wooden case he used to keep the Gyarados’s Pokéball in, still in his office, despite the emptiness inside it that reflected the emptiness in Augustine’s heart in a bittersweet echo. 

“From pain, to joy, huh…” he murmured. “I think… I think I could let that happen.”

* * *

_Though not covered by the scope of this study, the researchers have observed the occurrence of humans with the capacity to endure stimuli in a manner similar to Pokémon. It is possible that Mega Energy can influence even humans, as an individual (not disclosed due to age restrictions) exposed frequently to Mega Energy was known to survive electrical charges far greater than is known to be survivable by human beings._

* * *

“Ah, my smartphone’s dying.” Alain huffed, and Augustine looked over at his son, who was tapping at his phone, Clemont and Bonnie standing with him. 

“I should build you a new one.” Clemont hummed, cocking his head. “The game I introduced to you’s sucking your battery dry.”

“And my patience.” Alain grumbled. “Charizard still won’t come home.”

“Just keep pulling at the banner, he’ll show up eventually.” Bonnie blew him a raspberry, and Alain lightly gave her a noogie. 

“Alain, don’t be mean to Bonnie.” Augustine said, and beside him, Meyer laughed. 

“Bonnie, don’t bully Alain, either.” He said. “Do you have a power bank there, Clemont? Help Alain out, will you?”

“Oh! Clemontic Charge!” Bonnie cooed, and her older brother laughed sheepishly as she tugged on Meyer’s arm. “Please, Daddy? Pleeeease?”

Meyer shared an exasperated look at Augustine, who gave him a helpless little shrug. 

“Oh, fine. It’s just a phone, I suppose.”

Meyer seemed to take Clemont’s newfound ability in stride, Augustine thought, as the man consented (albeit reluctantly) to Bonnie’s plea. The little girl clapped delightedly as she pulled her Dedenne out of her pochette, setting it on Clemont’s shoulder while Alain handed the younger teen his phone. 

“Here we go!” Clemont huffed, and nodded at the Dedenne as it cuddled his cheek. “Dedenne, use Nuzzle!”

Bonnie’s little Dedenne squealed happily, cuddling against Clemont’s cheek, and electricity sparked into his skin. The teen grinned, and held up Alain’s phone, as the charging sound pinged pleasantly, the screen lighting up. 

“Oh!” Augustine lit up when he saw the photo—it was Apollon when he was still a Charmander, clinging onto Augustine as they danced around together in the Sycamores’ apartment. His heart filled with affection at Alain’s suddenly pink cheeks, and Meyer grinned. “That’s very sweet of you, Alain.”

“Alain’s a big softy!” Bonnie nodded eagerly. “Mairin called the other week, and she told me _all_ the embarrassing stuff Alain did!”

“Oh, like his crush on Steven Stone?” Clemont sneered, and the older teen kicked at his feet. “Oh, so Serena _was_ right!”

“Ugh, I _knew_ you’d get that from her,” Alain grumbled, “Don’t listen to her, she’s lying about it!”

“ _Sure_ she is,” Clemont leered, and the two boys went right back to bickering. 

Augustine laughed softly into his hand, as Meyer gave him a soft smile. 

“They get along well.” Meyer hummed, and Augustine nodded. 

“Alain misses him in the lab.” Augustine said. “He doesn’t say it out loud, but I can see him looking out at Prism Tower frequently.”

“You should have him over for more sleepovers then.” Meyer nodded. “Keeps Clemont at home, too, instead of living at Prism Tower all the time.”

“Yeah,” Augustine sighed happily, and jumped slightly when Bonnie suddenly held his hand. “Oh, Bonnie! Hello.”

“Why don’t you become our Daddy too, then?” She asked, and Augustine could only stare at her as Meyer spluttered in panic. Bonnie beamed at him, and got down on one knee. “Please take care of my father, Professor!”

“ _Bonnie!_ ” Meyer yelled, picking his daughter up into his arms, and Clemont burst out laughing, pointing at him. 

“Now you know what that’s like!” He cheered, and Alain began to laugh. “See, Papa?”

“Jeez!” Meyer’s cheeks were bright red, and Augustine couldn’t help but laugh, unable to stop smiling as he couldn’t look away. Meyer peered at Augustine, and laughed sheepishly. “Ha, she’s… she’s at that age, huh?”

“Yes.” Augustine smiled, and meant more than just Meyer’s question. Meyer blinked at him as he set Bonnie back down on the ground, and Augustine looked away, feeling his own cheeks burn. “Well… um… let’s get moving, shall we? We’ll be late for the parade.”

“Oh, right!” Clemont looked at Alain, and they nodded knowingly at each other. “Papa, Alain and I are gonna light the tower.”

“Bonnie too!” Bonnie volunteered, and Augustine blinked at the three children as Bonnie hurried to her brother, holding his hand. “Daddy, enjoy the parade with the Professor!”

“R-right.” Meyer nodded stiffly, and Augustine blinked at him. “Take care, kids.”

“Bye!” Bonnie cheered, and they all waved the two men goodbye before they hurried away towards Prism Tower. Augustine cocked his head at Meyer as the children left, and Meyer gave him an embarrassed little smile. 

“They insisted I spend it with you this time.” He said. “The last parade here, the one for Serena, I was in Prism Tower, taking care of the background stuff.” Meyer winced. “At least, until the whole Zygarde thing happened…”

Augustine shook his head, sighing fondly. 

“So now, it’s your turn, hm?” He asked, and he took Meyer’s hand. The other man jumped, but he quickly recovered, smiling back as he squeezed Augustine’s hand. 

“Aw, let me have this.” He laughed, and Augustine chuckled. 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

* * *

The parade celebrating the end of the Legendary Lockdown was utterly _gorgeous._ Lights and floats, dancing and singing, music and _life_ filled the streets of Lumiose, circling from the Sycamore Research Lab in Boulevard Sud all the way to the Lumiose station in Boulevard Nord. The whole parade made its way towards Prism Tower, where a stage was set up. 

Prism Tower was unlit, and the countdown began as the night continued, slipping closer and closer to midnight. 

“Lockdown’s ending.” Meyer said, and Augustine hummed, leaning against his side. Far ahead of them, the Mayor of Lumiose, and the hero of Kalos, Serena, stood together next to the ceremonial switch that turned Prism Tower on. 

“Will we go to Hoenn soon?” Augustine asked, and he couldn’t help but think about Leviathan’s Gyaradosite, now bound for its new wearer, Caesar. “I… I’d really like to see it.”

“Sure.” Meyer said, hugging Augustine one-armed. “We’ll go together. Just the two of us.”

“Just the two of us.” Augustine sighed happily.

“Three… two… one!” The crowd burst into cheers, and Serena herself pushed down the switch. Prism Tower became aglow with golden light, and poppers set off, throwing confetti into the air as the street party began. 

“Oh, the Legendary Lockdown’s over.” Augustine sighed, and Meyer nodded, holding Augustine closer as they moved aside for the organisers asking the crowd to part. Eventually, Meyer and Augustine found themselves standing in the Magenta Plaza, holding hands as the noise of the crowd faded away, but the glittering splendour of Prism Tower remained dazzling overhead. 

“It’s just like New Year, isn’t it?” Meyer chuckled, and Augustine laughed softly, nodding. 

“A whole slew of New Year, New Me, but in the middle of the year.” Augustine shook his head. “The Legendary Lockdown’s changed so much, but I think Kalos has recovered enough. We can only continue to improve from here on.” Augustine spotted Lysandre’s café, and his expression grew bittersweet, smiling sadly at the sight of the police tape still in front of the entrance, and he shook his head. “A new start, for all of us.”

“A new start, huh…” Meyer hummed, and he held both of Augustine’s hands. “Yeah, that… that sounds nice.”

“Hm?” Augustine cocked his head, but his eyes widened when Meyer squeezed his hands, and got down on one knee. “ _Meyer._ ”

“Let’s make this our new start too, Augustine.” Meyer said, “I won’t say any more—you’ve already heard what I have to say about everything.”

“Y-yeah.” Augustine laughed dazedly, rainbows scattering in his vision as it swam with tears. “So just ask it, then.”

“We will!” Bonnie’s delighted squeal came from Autumnal Avenue, and Augustine jumped, turning to see Clemont, Bonnie, and Alain striding towards them, Athenais in tow. 

“ _Athenais,_ ” Augustine breathed, and his Garchomp hurried up to him, Bonnie at her heels as she dragged along the two teens behind her. “Oh, you three—I—”

“Please take care of our father!” Clemont and Bonnie chimed together, and Meyer laughed, getting up as Alain stood next to them.

“Please, for once, make the right choice about men.” He said, and Bonnie dissolved into giggles, as Clemont elbowed him sharply. Still, Alain gave Augustine a knowing smile, and Augustine laughed, choking slightly as he wiped at his eyes. Athenais approached him, purring happily, and she held up her claw, showing him a silver ring with a glittering yellow gemstone mounted on it. 

“Oh,” Augustine turned to Meyer, who gave him a sweet smile. “Oh, _Meyer._ ”

“Augustine, will you marry me?” He asked, and Augustine laughed, nodding.

“Of course,” He replied. “I— _yes._ Oh, Arceus, yes.”

Meyer beamed at him, taking the ring from Athenais, and he gently slipped it onto Augustine’s finger. The three children lit up at the sight of it, and Bonnie surged forward, hugging both Meyer and Augustine as best as she could.

“Yes!” She cheered, “Now I have _two_ dads!”

“Not yet, Bonnie,” Augustine laughed, stroking her head, and she pouted up at him. “But soon.” He added softly, and the blonde lit up, jumping up into his arms. The scientist burst out laughing, and Clemont lit up, looking at Alain. The older teen blinked at him, and Clemont pulled him along, rushing forward to pull their entire family into a hug. “Oh! Boys!” Augustine laughed, and Athenais rushed forward, too, growling happily as she hugged them. 

Much to their surprise, even _Vernal_ popped out of his Pokéball, cuddling into what little space they had left, and they dissolved into helpless laughter as Lumiose continued to celebrate without them.

Meyer met Augustine’s gaze, and Augustine beamed back at him. 

“I love you.” Meyer said softly. 

“I love you too.” Augustine whispered, and Bonnie gasped between them.

“ _Noo!_ No kissing! We’re right here!” She complained, and the two men laughed helplessly as she squirmed out from between them. “Keep it PG!” 

Clemont huffed, simply pressing his hand on his sister’s face, and Alain smirked, pressing his hand on Clemont’s face.

“No, Alain! You’re smudging my glasses!”

Augustine rolled his eyes, and pressed his hand on Alain’s face, and turned to Meyer with a grin. Meyer— _his fiancé_ —grinned back at him, and pulled him in for a kiss.

“ _They’re kissing!_ ” Bonnie squealed, and their laughter rang through the muted quiet of the plaza anew.

* * *

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS**

_I would like to thank the Devon Corporation, for largely sponsoring this study through the Megalith Program. I am also extending my gratitude to the Government of Kalos, and the City of Lumiose for providing the permits to use Mega Evolution, and the support the Sycamore Research Laboratory sorely needed during the Legendary Lockdown. I also humbly thank the volunteer trainers and their Pokémon partners that participated in the study, listed in full in Supplementary Material A. My deepest gratitude to my research assistants, Alain, Sophie, and Cosette, for their support and assistance during experimentation, and the Lumiose Gym Leader, Clemont, for the Pokémon biological sample extractor. And to my beloved Meyer—thank you, for everything. I love you._

* * *

“Oh, the Gyaradosite is beautiful.” Steven Stone sighed happily, holding the stone up to catch the sunlight streaming in through his office’s window. Augustine nodded eagerly, and Steven gave him a smile, setting the Gyaradosite back down in the briefcase. “Again, from the bottom of my heart, Professor, thank you so much.”

“Thank you, too, for the help you’ve been.” Augustine said, giving him a nod. “Not only for helping Kalos, but also in my study.”

“It’s no problem at all.” Steven gave him a smile, cocking his head, and Augustine chuckled behind his hand. The younger man lit up at the sight of Augustine’s ring. “Oh, that’s a beautifully cut gemstone, Professor.”

“Pardon?” Augustine blinked, and Steven gestured at his ring. He looked down at his engagement ring, and Steven held his hand out at him. 

“May I take a closer look?” He asked, and Augustine nodded, slipping his ring off to let Steven look closer at the gemstone mounted on it.

He hummed thoughtfully. “This might be citrine, I think.” He said, and handed it back to Augustine, who blinked at him blankly. Steven laughed nervously, turning pink as he looked off to the side. “Sorry. I’m very fond of stones.” He said, and Augustine finally smiled. “Citrine. Interesting choice.”

“Could you tell me about it?” Augustine asked, and Steven nodded.

“Well, it’s named after the lemon,” he said, “Of course, because of its colour. It’s generally okay to wear every day, just take care of it well, and… it’s said to symbolize happiness and contentment.” 

Augustine’s eyes widened at him, and Steven gave him a sweet smile.

“Whoever it was that gave you that ring loves you very much.” He sighed happily. “I’m happy for you, Professor.” 

“Th-thank you.” Augustine smiled slowly, and thumbed at his ring. 

_New start,_ he’d said. 

It looked like everything was going to be alright, after all.


	2. On Following Type Changes In Mega-Evolved Pokémon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The paper, as published in the Kalosian Journal of Pokémon Physiology.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bukkun abuses their masters degree, part 291813094183

**_Kalosian Journal of Pokémon Physiology_ **

**On Following Type Changes In Mega-Evolved Pokémon: Mega Charizard, Mega Pinsir, Mega Gyarados, Mega Ampharos, Mega Aggron, Mega Sceptile, Mega Altaria, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Audino**

**Augustine Sycamore**

_Faculty of Pokémon Physiological Research, École Normale Supérieure de Kalos, Boulevard Sud, Lumiose City, Kalos_

  1. **INTRODUCTION**



Mega Evolution is a process wherein a fully-evolved Pokémon, under a certain powerful stimulus known as Mega Energy, is able to take an additional, reversible step forward in its metamorphosis. This process is made possible by synchronising the Mega Energy between two stones: a Mega Stone, specific to certain Pokémon species, and a Key Stone, a stone to be held by the Pokémon’s trainer. The exact mechanism of Mega Evolution has yet to be elucidated, but it is known that during the process of Mega Evolution, the Pokémon’s body undergoes sudden, rapid metamorphosis, forming new structures that give a Mega Evolved Pokémon a completely different phenotype. This transformation only occurs during Pokémon battles, when a Pokémon is extremely agitated, or any other form of excitation (e.g. Pokémon Contest performances) and is entirely reversible, leaving the Pokémon with its previous phenotype after the transformation. According to multiple studies on the phenomenon, this entire process is coupled with large amounts of pain, and many initial attempts at Mega Evolution often ends in destabilisation.

The use of Mega Evolution during Pokémon battling has persisted as a popular phenomenon among Trainers that are in possession of a Key Stone and an appropriate Mega Stone for their Pokémon partner. Of the several species that are capable of Mega Evolution, a select few are able to change their physical typing during the process of transformation. This changing of type is used often in battle strategies by professional trainers. It is widely known that a bond between a trainer and their Pokémon is a catalyst of some sort for Mega Evolution. This bond provides the strength and willpower in a Pokémon to withstand not only the strain of sudden, rapid metamorphosis, but also the extreme amounts of pain that a Pokémon endures in the name of growing stronger. The importance of the bond between trainer and Pokémon seemingly runs deeper than simple consent and trust. The excruciating pain that accompanies Mega Evolution, especially during the first time it occurs for the trainer-partner pair, is known to cause rampages in inexperienced or unstable trainer pairs. It is likely that the mental state of the Pokémon is also important to the success of Mega Evolution in general, and the relationship it shares with the trainer initiating the Mega Evolution plays a major role. While it is entirely possible to cease the Mega Evolution and force the reversal of the Pokémon to its original form, irreparable damage to both the physical and mental health of the Pokémon poses a great risk. 

Over the years, many more discoveries have been made regarding the nature of Mega Evolution, though there are more aspects of it that have yet to be discovered, such as the mechanism behind the physical type changing some species undergo during Mega Evolution. There is very little empirical evidence in previous studies regarding Mega Evolution that may allow researchers to pinpoint the exact mechanism that allows Mega Evolution to occur, and even less evidence of how certain species are able to change their typing. However, it has been proven by the research of Professor Burnet of the Alola region that typing is a plastic phenotype that is influenced both by genetics and the environment. Therefore, rapid type changing may be possible, provided the Pokémon is under the great stress of Mega Evolution. This study aims to investigate the mechanisms of type changes during the radical change of Pokémon physiology under the stress of Mega Evolution.

  1. **DISCUSSION**



According to previous studies, Mega Energy has been determined to be the type of power that is the known stimulus of Mega Evolution. The current outstanding theory on the mechanism of Mega Evolution states that Mega Energy propels the progression of life by activating and promoting developmental factors, resulting in rapid metamorphosis. The activation of these factors is reversible, and in the absence of Mega Energy, these developmental factors are no longer active, and the regulatory factors of the Pokémon enable rapid degeneration to a previous state.

Comparing the genomes of multiple Pokémon that are alike in habit, form, morphology, and typing, there are visible differences among divergent taxa. Tabulated below are selected examples of species genomic comparisons observed in the study:

**Mega Evolving Pokémon**

| 

**Non-Mega Evolving Pokémon**  
  
---|---  
  
Garchomp

| 

Flygon  
  
Gyarados

| 

Milotic  
  
Houndoom

| 

Arcanine  
  
Salamence

| 

Dragonite  
  
Audino

| 

Miltank  
  
**Table 1.** List of selected Pokémon genomic comparisons between like species.

While these Pokémon are from similar ancestors, many of them share very derived traits. However, a single locus was found to be consistently present only in Mega Evolving Pokémon, and absent in all Non-Mega Evolving Pokémon. The locus, designated _megafactor_ throughout the study, is a conserved gene that remains largely similar across multiple taxa, but present only in species that are capable of Mega Evolution. As such, the _megafactor_ gene may be used as a barcode gene in order to identify other species that are capable of Mega Evolution. The presence of this gene in only species that are capable of Mega Evolving implies that this gene alone is the sole factor required for an individual to have the potential to Mega Evolve. 

In this study, it was found that the _megafactor_ gene, among others, was active only during Mega Evolution. In DNA samples obtained before Mega Evolution, the _megafactor_ gene showed little to no expression, but in samples obtained during Mega Evolution, the _megafactor_ expression showed a five-fold change in expression level. After the process of Mega Evolution, the _megafactor_ expression returns to the baseline established prior to the event, indicating that _megafactor_ is only expressed while under the stress of Mega Evolution. In order to illustrate this, chromatin immunoprecipitation of samples taken before, during, and after Mega Evolving show that megafactor protein has high affinity with DNA sequences during Mega Evolution only. After Mega Evolution, the megafactor protein is no longer bound to DNA, indicating that the dissociation of megafactor from the genes is involved in the reversal of metamorphosis.

The expression of genes involved with the change in morphology is typically a slow process, and one that mainly occurs during embryonic development, metamorphic evolution, or in adaptive radiation, as in the case with Galarian and Alolan variants of different Pokémon species. However, in Mega Evolution, this process is not only expedited, but can also be reversible. It is possible that the high energy contained in Mega Energy is the cause of this increased rate of development, but the exact mechanism of how Mega Energy influences this rapid change has yet to be seen, and will not be covered in the scope of this study. For this study, the mechanism behind type changes following the activation of the megafactor gene was investigated.

It has been discovered in extensive studies of Professor Samuel Oak of Kanto on the genome of the Legendary Pokémon Mew that the genetic information of every single type and traits are present within every single descendant of Mew, including both extinct and extant species of Pokémon. In a study by Professor Blue Oak, the expression of traits in a Pokémon are tightly controlled by multiple factors, such as epigenetic, transcriptional, and translational regulation. To summarise, all Pokémon species have the genes for all the typings present in nature, but all of the genes are suppressed, except for at least one, with a maximum of two. The progression of development of an organism then depends on the expressed typing gene (or genes), promoting traits that are responsive to the typing gene factor’s signal, and suppressing all others. 

In Mega Evolution, there is not only dramatic metamorphosis, but even the changing of Pokémon typing, one result of _megafactor_ expression. The tertiary structure of the megafactor protein, upon _in silico_ simulation, contains a DNA-binding domain (DBD) in a helix-loop-helix conformation, implying the megafactor protein’s function as a transcription factor. The response element sequence that megafactor proteins bind to was later on identified to be a palindromic promoter sequence that remains generally consistent across the genome. Comparisons of genomes of both Mega Evolving-positive and negative organisms reveal the presence of these promoter sequences, indicating that these sequences are conserved across all taxa of Pokémon species. The presence of these promoter regions then are likely linked to development, with some possible link to typing. 

When comparing immunoprecipitation assay data between Changing and Constant Mega Evolving Pokémon, it was found that there was higher incidence of megafactor protein binding in Changing Pokémon than Constant groups, except for Mega Aggron, which showed a twofold reduction in megafactor binding as compared to other species. These results imply that type changing is caused by an increased amount of megafactor binding to DNA response elements, which then cause downstream effects that lead to the rapid development of new type traits, or the reduction of the traits, as in the Mega Aggron. 

The overall proposed mechanism of Mega Evolution is as follows:

  * Mega Energy stimulus causes conformational changes in some unknown upstream protein, causing its activation. This activation results in the downstream expression of the _megafactor_ gene, producing the megafactor protein.
  * The megafactor protein then binds to response elements, promoters in the genome, and causes gene expression of several unknown factors. 
  * These factors then bind to epigenetic regulators on suppressed traits, resulting in denaturation and freeing the bound gene.
  * The newly-freed gene is expressed, resulting in renewed gene expression. 


  1. **METHODOLOGY**



Biological samples were obtained from both Pokémon that are capable of Mega Evolution, and Pokémon that are unable to Mega Evolve (e.g. Garchomp, Flygon). For Pokémon that are capable of Mega Evolving, biological samples were obtained from both the trainer and the partner Pokémon before, during, and after Mega Evolution, performed in accordance with Inter-regional Law, Mandate KL1245-2033, with exemption permit number 0004-2033. The Mega Evolving samples were then separated according to the presence or absence of the ability to change type, designated Changing or Constant, respectively. DNA was then extracted from all tissue samples using the PokéGenPure DNA Extraction Kit™ (Lysandre Laboratories), following the manufacturer’s protocol. 

The genomes of each Pokémon species were then sequenced, aligned, and compared. Genetic sequences are identified as being of significance to the study when they are present in Pokémon that are able to Mega Evolve, but are absent in Pokémon that are unable to Mega Evolve. The identified gene sequences were then characterised, identifying the resulting gene expression product (RNA or protein). One small (~100 amino acid residues in length) protein product was then selected for further study.

The protein product was characterized _in silico_ , identifying different tertiary structures, and the function of the protein was inferred from the presence of these structures. The target of these structures was identified as a DNA response element sequence, which was then characterized and used to produce primers for amplification. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were done on live samples using the ChIPper Kit (Lysandre Laboratories), following the manufacturer’s protocol. 

  1. **ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS**



I would like to thank the Devon Corporation, for largely sponsoring this study through the Megalith Project. I am also extending my gratitude to the Government of Kalos, and the City of Lumiose for providing the permits to use Mega Evolution, and the support the Sycamore Research Laboratory sorely needed during the Legendary Lockdown. I also humbly thank the volunteer trainers and their Pokémon partners that participated in the study, listed in full in Supplementary Material A. My deepest gratitude to my research assistants, Alain, Sophie, and Cosette, for their support and assistance during experimentation, and the Lumiose Gym Leader, Clemont, for the Pokémon biological sample extractor. And to my beloved Meyer—thank you, for everything. I love you.

  1. **RECOMMENDATIONS**



Further study on the downstream effectors of the megafactor should be done in order to fully elucidate the pathway of type changes. Though not covered by the scope of this study, the researchers have observed the occurrence of humans with the capacity to endure stimuli in a manner similar to Pokémon. It is possible that Mega Energy can influence even humans, as an individual (not disclosed due to age restrictions) exposed frequently to Mega Energy was known to survive electrical charges far greater than is known to be survivable by human beings. We recommend further exploration on the possibility of type changes in humans, as well.

**Author's Note:**

> "all that just to tell us clemont has a secondary typing?"
> 
> yeah? what about it? i love my son clemont pokemon? (please come home to pasio im begging you)


End file.
